A Different Hiccup
by The Story Of Your Life
Summary: An alternate version of Another Hiccup. A trio of teens from the real world find themselves stuck in another world. What happens when one of them is more connected to this world than they realize? Will they choose to stay, or be with the people they have grown up with? Rated T for safety. Cover art done by silverwolvesarecool, thanks again for the awesome cover art! On Hiatus!
1. Part One: Beginning

**Chapter One**

My life isn't exactly one that people can picture themselves living. I'm sure there are kids who would dream of being part of the world that I dared to venture into. But they have no idea just how cruel that world can be. This is the story, of how I found myself choosing between our world, and a land full of dragons.

...

" **I know everyone you know, You know everyone I know Our Venn diagrams are one circle, You grow up when I'm not looking We grow apart without knowing, And all of a sudden I'm leaving...** "

"So, do you have everything packed?" Mom leaned against the doorway, arms folded as she watched me.

A backpack full of clothing and other supplies lay on my bed. Mom always expected me to be an A plus student. She used to tell me that reaching for the highest point would get me places, and I was beginning to realize that she was right. So of course, when I found out that I was failing math, I was forced to embark on a camping trip our teacher had proposed. Mom was more than happy to sign me up, on the assumption that I would go for the extra credit.

"Yep, I've got about two week's worth of supplies in here," I replied with a sheepish look. How I managed to do that was beyond me. I wasn't exactly the most organized person in the world.

"Hm... maybe we should give this whole camping trip a second thought," mom suddenly said as she gave me a hug.

"Mom, I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Besides, I won't be alone."

"I know, that's what worries me." Her response only made me laugh.

"Mom, Jacob's waiting for me outside," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

Fortunately mom dropped the subject. It wasn't just a matter of being away that bothered me. I desperately wanted to get good grades in school like I had promised. Doing this extra credit assignment would hopefully prove that I had what it took. With that thought in mind, I hoisted my backpack over my shoulder and made my way downstairs.

Sure enough, my neighbor and best friend, Jacob Faux was waiting for me outside on the front porch. He looked as if he was ready for anything, a full hiking backpack and all. I grinned sheepishly when the door slammed behind me.

"Got the insect spray?" I asked with a chagrin.

"Haha, very funny," Jacob replied. "Come on, the bus is waiting."

" **So I say I'm sorry I can't, I've got plans As I watched the time slip through my hands, What you don't know now, One day you'll learn, Growing up is a heavy leaf to turn A heavy leaf to turn...** "

The trip to Lake Ariel felt like it had taken hours. Abigail sat next to me while Jacob chatted with another student. Abigail was another good friend of mine. We'd been friends since the first grade, and things hadn't really changed since than. Only Abigail was more interested in getting more popular than I could ever dream of.

And of course when girl in particular was joining us on said trip. Her name, Jessica. I wouldn't necessarily say that I hate her. But let's just say we've been enemies since the first grade. Jessica did everything she could to make my life miserable. To the point where I had often thought of transferring schools.

" **Take me with you, 'Cause even on your own, You are not alone Take me with you, 'Cause even by yourself, my love You are something else...** "

"So, have you heard the rumors about Lake Ariel?" Abigail suddenly asked. I pulled out an earbud and looked at her skeptically.

"You mean about it being haunted?" I retorted. She simply shrugged as I glanced out the window. "Yeah, I've heard."

"I just wonder if it's true," Abigail murmured in a longing tone. "I mean, wouldn't it be cool if someone just vanished?"

I bit the bottom of my lip, remembering what had happened to my father eight years ago. Jacob was the only other person who knew what he did to me. Even Abigail was unaware of the truth. A few years ago he disappeared off the face of Earth. The cops had told us that it was like he didn't even exist. I called bullcrap on it, but of course it wasn't like my opinion ever mattered.

"Well, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone," I whispered.

Abigail gave me a look that suggested I was crazy. Hey, I didn't want anyone getting hurt unless they deserved it.

Fortunately the bus had finally pulled to a stop. Thirty minutes went by, and the trip wasn't as long as I was expecting. Miss Attwater, the math teacher, was standing beside Mr. Blight as she searched for the papers in her duffel bag.

"Alright, I want everyone to be on their best behavior while we're here," Miss Attwater told everyone. "And these maps will act as your guide throughout the area. Please, try not to get lost when exploring. And stay with a partner or a group."

The moment I stepped outside was when I regretted going on this camping trip. Jessica had been behind me at the time, and pushed me forward. Of course everyone was watching at the time, and laughter burst throughout the crowd when I landed in a pile of mud.

"Oh, sorry, I'm such a clumsy girl," Jessica sneered as she stepped forward and onto the grass nearby.

"That's enough, Miss Grenson," Mr. Blight snapped. "Unless you'd like to run a few laps around the lake?" Leave it to our school to force the gym teacher on a math trip. This was going to be fun.

'You okay?" Jacob asked as he helped me up.

"Well, other than being soaked and covered in mud, I'm perfectly fine," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"There are showers in the cabins," Miss Attwater reassured me. "And Jessica, you will be excluded from campfires tonight," she added to Jessica, who was now scowling in annoyance.

My moment of triumph was short-lived when I realized that Jessica would probably just do something far worse later on. I shook my head at the thought, grabbing my suitcase and making a run for the girl's cabin. Luckily it was only a few steps away from where the bus had parked. And sure enough, Miss Attwater had been right.

I let out a sigh of relief the moment warm water touched my skin. This camping trip was beginning to seem more like a nightmare than a challenge to get better grades. I was beginning to wonder if going really had been a mistake.

"Hey, Alex, over here!" Jacob waved to me once I was outside.

Small circles around campfires were formed as the sun began to set. I looked around to try and get my bearings as I wondered what we would do tonight. Miss Attwater had said that the real fun wouldn't begin until tomorrow. But she always had something planned under her sleeve.

"We were just telling ghost stories," Abigail said, her voice giddy with excitement.

"Sounds exciting," I murmured halfheartedly.

"Well, Matthew's the best storyteller around," Abigail chimed in.

By now Jacob was fighting his laughter while Matthew's cheeks turned a bright red. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight. Abigail had a huge crush on him, and I had a feeling Matthew felt the same. Of course he would never admit his feelings, and neither would Abigail. It was fun to watch them though.

"Hey, why don't _you_ tell the story this time?" Jacob asked, glancing at me expectantly. I looked at him warily. He knew how much I hated being put on the spot.

"Okay... how about the story about the girl who disappeared?" I suggested after giving it some thought. This was a story my mom had told me when I was younger. I was always freaked out by the story, thinking it could be true. "So, ten years ago this school hosted a camping trip similar to what we're on now during the summer," I started as everyone quieted down to hear. "Rumors have it that it was a rainy season, and the lake was deeper than people expected. A girl around our age was part of the trip, and she wandered away from her cabin during the night. She claimed that the lake was calling to her, that she saw someone drowning. When people started calling her crazy, she decided to go and explore the lake herself and find out the truth.

"People say that she jumped in to find out who was drowning. They never found a body. Only a shoe that she wore that day. To this day, people say that you can see her spirit roaming the lake's shore, calling people into the water depths below."

By now everyone was staring at me with huge eyes. I had a feeling none of them would be sleeping tonight.

"Well, I guess you're a better storyteller than I thought," Matthew said grudgingly. I only stuck my tongue out at him in response.

"Alright, I think that's enough storytelling for tonight," Mr. Blight announced after a moment of silence followed.

He clapped his hands, breaking everyone from their trance. I tried not to laugh at their expressions. Moments like these really made me wish I had a camera.

"Tomorrow we'll be working in groups, so get some rest," Miss Attwater added.

Relief washed over me as I followed the others back to the cabin. There were four bunk beds inside. Fortunately Abigail and I were sharing one; she had the top while I had the bottom. With me being afraid of heights, I didn't want to sleep any higher than recommended. Once I closed my eyes, that was when things started getting strange.

Have you ever had those moments where something feels like a dream, but it isn't? Well, this is one of those dreams. I found myself standing in the middle of a forest. It wasn't like the forest where Lake Ariel was. In fact, the trees were completely different from those trees. Tall pine trees surrounded me. They seemed to go on forever.

I started walking aimlessly on a path forward. My body seemed to work in slow motion.

Up above I could see a full moon hovering in the night's sky. That was what made me realize this was just a dream. Back home it was a half moon at the moment. Here the moon seemed oddly closer, almost as if I could reach out and touch it.

Finally I caught sight of something unusual in the shadows. For a moment, I thought it was just the shadows playing tricks on me. Then I noticed that it was changing shapes. My eyes widened in shock when a boy around my age stood up. He wasn't dressed like anyone from our world. What threw me off was the look in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice was barely a whisper. My eyes were locked with his green eyes. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. It was almost like he couldn't see me, but he knew that I was there. "Do you need help?"

Silence greeted me. The forest around me was beginning to fade as quickly as it had appeared. I looked around frantically, desperately seeking another way to communicate with him. Something in his eyes told me that this was more than just a dream. It felt too real to be a dream. Of course my body chose that moment to wake up.

* * *

 **AN: So... I'm not exactly sure how this story will play out. I've already got about nine chapters typed up so, I guess that's a good thing. I'm not going to lie when I say that I've gotten writer's block for the Paradigm. And I apologize for that, but I might be taking it down. This story is kind of like a rewrite to Another Hiccup, only with different elements added to it. To top things off, I'm going to add the second part of Riders of Berk, and Race to the Edge before continuing on to the second movie. So, hopefully readers will enjoy this version, and forgive me for quitting on yet another story...**


	2. A Blur

**Chapter Two**

* * *

" _I never was much for small talk, Born with a heart felt heavy as stone But I still love the sound of laughter, It's the sound of hope keeping us alive Even when, the rain pours down Even when the light seems like it's fading, Even when your heart aches, feels like it's gonna break That's when you sing out loud..._ " - Shine Like Lightning Drew Honeycomb and the Neighbors

* * *

"Today you will be splitting into groups of three," Miss Attwater explained once everyone was awake. "The first group to get back with all clues will get tomorrow off."

She handed everyone a sheet of paper with clues written on it. I narrowed my eyes, noticing that everything was in different numbers and combinations. Great, this was not going to be fun. I hadn't forgotten how horrible I was with math. And as usual, I got left out in the groups since there was an odd number of students on the trip.

Miss Attwater didn't seem to care that I was alone. She spent the rest of the morning with Mr. Blight, planning the next day's activity.

So once again I found myself wandering down the path alone. Jacob was with Jessica and Emily this time, while Abigail went with Matthew's group. Jacob had had a crush on Jessica since freshman year, so it wasn't surprising to see him go with her.

At one point I did have feelings for Jacob. But I was too chicken to admit that I felt anything for him. We'd always been friends since he moved next door. Mom said we were like siblings. She thought it was cute, seeing us together as friends. If I ever asked him out, things would get awkward between us. I couldn't ruin what relationship we did have.

My shoes scraped against rock as I came to a stop. This was the farthest point of the lake. I glanced at the paper Miss Attwater had given me, recognizing the symbol immediately. A leaf that almost looked like a fan. I'd seen them before and knew exactly what the trees looked like. And lucky me, I happened to find it right in front of me.

"Hey, we were here first!" Jessica's shout made me stop in my tracks. I flinched at the anger in her tone. Jacob stood not far away, facepalming as she ran forward and nearly lashed out at me. "This clue is ours, and ours only," she hissed.

"Okay, stop screeching," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. "Tree's all yours."

Jessica's eyes lit up until she realized that she would have to climb it. I smirked before doing something unexpected. I'd always been a little more adventurous than the others in school. Tree climbing was fun if one knew how to do it safely.

"Can't you climb like a monkey?" Jessica demanded as Jacob reached us.

"Nope," he replied with a shrug. "I've never been that much of an athlete."

Tell me something I didn't know. Mr. Blight was always yelling at Jacob for having the lowest track record. His mom had forced him to join the team when he refused to take any other sport. And he hated it. I wasn't surprised that he didn't get along with the gym teacher.

"Got it!" I exclaimed after reaching the nearest branch and grabbing a leaf. Ironic that I was up so high and afraid of heights. For some reason I wasn't afraid of climbing trees. But when it came to be on top of a mountain of a bunk bed, or flying in a plane, that was a whole different story.

"Alright, monkey, can you get down so we don't have heart attacks?" Jacob asked with a cheeky grin.

I just grinned back before making my way back down. That was when things had taken a turn for the worse. My hands tried grabbing the trunk of the tree. I couldn't get a strong enough grip, and suddenly found myself slipping.

For a moment all I could hear was Jacob's voice echoing in the back of my mind. The world seemed to blur around me. Reality came crashing down on me as a rush of wind brushed past my face. The roaring in my ears seemed to fade away, replaced with an eerie silence.

Finally I opened my eyes. Jacob and Jessica were still with me, whispering to one another frantically as they tried to figure out what just happened. When I tried opening my mouth, I found I couldn't speak. Jacob's look of concern washed away in an instant when he realized that I was okay.

"W-What happened?" I asked once I'd found my voice.

"You're asking me?" Jacob countered. "One minute everything was fine until you fell from that tree. Now... everything's a blur."

"Where are we?" Jessica demanded, pulling her phone out of her pocket. I just rolled my eyes when she tried looking for a signal. "T-There's no service here!" she shouted.

"How long do you think she'll last without phone service?" I asked with a sheepish look.

"Five minutes."

...

Sure enough, Jessica was practically fuming by the time five minutes had gone by and nothing changed. I'm not even sure where we were. This forest looked oddly familiar though. I looked around and recognized some of the pine trees from my dream.

"Tell me that this is just a dream," Jessica muttered crossly. "That we'll just all wake up and be back in the cabins."

"Doubtful," I replied.

I hadn't moved since falling from that tree. Jacob was afraid I might have cracked a rib or something. Oddly enough, I didn't feel any pain. Instead, I was strangely at peace. This place felt more like home than my actual home did.

"Well, we can't stick around here all day," Jacob decided after a few minutes had passed. "Come on, I'm sure we'll find some clue as to where we are if we just explore a little."

His optimism made me wish I could share that amount of courage. Honestly, I was afraid. Afraid of finding out whether or not that dream really was a dream. I wasn't sure what would happen if I found that boy from my dreams. The desperate look in his eyes told me that something bad had happened to him.

"Okay, let's go," I murmured.

Jacob looked at me in surprise, while Jessica looked like she was ready to argue when she thought better of it. After getting up and dusting off my clothes, we made our way blindly through the forest. It was strange, thinking that we could wake up in a completely different world. Just a week ago I was trying to figure out how to get my math grades up, and now this happened.

"This has to be the most disgusting forest ever," Jessica grumbled as she stumbled into a spiderweb.

I hardly heard her. The cold was what really drew my attention. It was oddly colder than the forest around Lake Ariel.

"You okay?" Jacob asked as he kept pace with me.

"Just cold," I replied, rubbing my arms up and down. I was dressed for summer, not winter. Jeans and a short-sleeved shirt weren't exactly the greatest combination in this weather.

"I'm getting the feeling that this isn't just a weird dream," he suddenly murmured. I simply nodded in agreement.

"Jacob, have you ever gotten the feeling where something is supposed to be a dream, but it's reality?" I suddenly asked. He looked at me in surprise, but than shrugged.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Guess I've just never had that feeling."

I almost laughed. Maybe I did sound crazy to them. But that didn't stop me from wanting to see what lay beyond this forest. In the back of my mind, I couldn't resist telling them about my dream. But Jacob would probably think I really was insane. And it would just encourage Jessica to keep teasing me.

We continued walking until darkness fell. By now Jessica had stopped complaining. She was oddly quiet, keeping close to Jacob and clinging to his arm like her life depended on it. I'm sure that she was afraid of what lay ahead.

It wasn't until we reached a clearing that I noticed things were far worse than I could've imagined. A village cold be seen in the distance. Jacob was the first to spot it. Jessica's eyes lit up with hope, until she noticed that something was wrong.

"Um... the village is on fire," Jessica pointed out in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Well, no duh genius," I snapped.

The homes scattered along the cliff's ledge were on fire. And in the distance, I could hear what sounded like roars. I think at that point I realized something was horribly wrong. Both Jacob and Jessica were exchanging looks of terror as something was sent flying towards us. A large black mass swung into the trees, crashing into them and knocking them down.

For a moment, none of us moved as the shape lurched forward and came to a halt. Then I did what felt like the stupidest thing ever. I ran towards the shape. Jacob's shouting almost stopped me in my tracks, until I caught sight of what that shape was.

My heart was racing when I saw what looked like a _dragon_ laying in a pile of trees and bushes. It had huge bat-like wings, was all black, and piercing green eyes. The dragon lifted it's arrow-shaped head and let out a warning growl. I took a step back, than noticed that bolas were wrapped around it's torn tail.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered.

It looked as though it was badly injured. The dragon kept it's eyes trained on me as I inched forward. Luckily mom had taught me all about herbal medicine. She always said that knowledge like this would come in handy if I were ever to get lost.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jessica demanded. "And what is that thing?" Her eyes widened in panic when she caught sight of the dragon.

"Obviously that thing is a dragon," Jacob replied.

The two of them continued arguing while I kept my eye on the dragon. It was staring at me, ignoring Jessica and Jacob all together. I found it strange that the dragon seemed to ignore them. Especially since they were bickering so loudly that anyone would have noticed by now.

"This should help you," I reassured it. The dragon flinched at my touch, but it relaxed a few seconds later after I spread the poultice around it's cut. "There, that'll at least keep it from getting infected."

Before I could say anything else, a screech sounded in the forest. Both Jessica and Jacob had jumped at the sound. My heart was racing as I reached for the rope, and that was when I noticed the dragon was cowering in fear. Whatever had made that sound was obviously a bigger threat than this dragon. Which meant that of course, our lives were in danger.

"Alex..." Jacob's voice was barely a whisper.

I looked at him, than felt something cold and scaly touch my hand. I think by now I was about to have a heart attack. When I turned around, another dragon stood in front of me. Only this one was different from the bat-winged dragon. It was hard to see in the darkness; the air around us had suddenly gotten much colder. I blinked a few times, trying to get a better view. And of course the dragon chose that moment to suddenly grab me and take off.

My screams of terror could probably be heard miles away. In the distance I could hear Jacob shouting my name. I was sure that Jessica had gone running in the opposite direction. Wind whipped past my face, and it didn't take me long to realize that I was high up in the air. That was when my vision began to fade, and at once I blacked out.

* * *

 **AN: So here's the second chapter, and as I type this, I send my prayers out to the victims of Paris, France. What happened in the city of love should never happen to anyone. On a lighter note, hopefully this chapter was good and not too strange...**

 **Drunken Hamster - I did too, but unfortunately writer's block got to me :( I did enjoy writing it, and maybe eventually it will get rewritten, but for now it has been put on hold. And thanks for reviewing, they're always appreciated!**


	3. Snowfire

**Chapter Three**

* * *

" _I see you dressed in white, Every wrong made right I see a rose in bloom, At the sight of you (oh so priceless) Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable Darling, it's beautiful I see it all in you (oh so priceless)..._ " - Priceless, for KING and COUNTRY

* * *

It wasn't the birds that had woken me up. The harsh sunlight didn't either. A growl was what had woken me up.

I found myself staring into the eyes of another dragon, this one twice the size of the dragon in the forest. Piercing blue eyes stared back into my brown eyes. I couldn't move. The dragon's intense glare sent shivers through me. They weren't shivers of fear though.

The dragon itself was beautiful. White scales mixed with silvery gray ones. It had long, elegant and feathery wings, with a curved neck and large talons. The dragon's tail was also long and whip-like. The dragon raised it's chin and looked at me warily.

"You haven't eaten me yet?" I asked anxiously.

' _Why would I eat such a scrawny hatchling_?' My heart nearly skipped a beat when I heard that voice. It sounded oddly female, and I looked around to see who had spoken, until looking back at the dragon.

"D-Did you just speak?"

' _Of course I did_ ,' the voice replied. It didn't take me long to realize that the dragon itself was speaking, through my head.

"My friends, they were left behind in that forest," I murmured, glancing towards the cliff.

My eyes widened when I realized we were on an island, this one different from the other one. I wondered if Jacob was worried about me. Or if he was happy to be alone with Jessica. I shook my head at the thought, knowing that it wouldn't get me anywhere.

' _You are not like those other hatchlings_ ,' the dragon suddenly said. I looked at her in surprise. ' _I sense something in you, that I do not in them_.'

Heat rose to my cheeks at that comment. I wasn't expecting someone, let alone a dragon, to say something like that.

"So... do you have a name?" was all I could ask.

' _I am called Snowfire_ ,' the dragon replied.

I eyed Snowfire warily, wondering what sort of dragon she was exactly. I'd always been fascinated with dragons and other mythical creatures. At one point when I was younger, I used to think that they did exist at sometime in the past. Sadly that dream never did come true. Until now.

"Please, I have to know whether or not my friends are okay," I whispered. "I can't just leave them behind to fend for themselves."

' _They will survive_ ,' Snowfire snapped.

I glanced down at the ground uncertainly. Jacob may have knowledge of outdoor survival, but Jessica had little to no knowledge. I could already imagine she was complaining about how much colder it was here. If anything happened to them, I would never forgive myself.

"I sure hope so." It was quite once again.

Snowfire suddenly took off into the air, leaving me behind. I held back a groan, wondering if she was planning on abandoning me. The thought only made me realize just how vulnerable I really was. Out here I was alone with no weapons or means to defend myself. To make matters worse, I'd left my friends behind.

It only felt like seconds had passed when Snowfire suddenly returned. I looked at her in surprise when she landed nearby, dropping a mouthful of fish.

' _You must be hungry_ ,' she explained. ' _Dragons do not eat meat, we eat fish_.'

"I can't eat it like that," I muttered crossly. There was no way I would eat raw fish, even if it was from a dragon.

Snowfire simply looked at me in amusement before letting out a huff of smoke. I watched in amazement; it didn't take long for them to cook. Once they were, I took one and gingerly took a bite. My eyes widened when I realized just how hungry I was. Snowfire kept an eye on me while I ate. For a while we just sat there in content silence.

"Thanks," I murmured, for once actually meaning it.

I was about to grab another when Snowfire suddenly did something that caught me by surprise. Her snout pressed against my open hand.

At once I felt calmer than I ever had in my life. I couldn't describe the feeling. At one time I would have said it was just the fish. But this was different. Snowfire's eyes showed signs of a deeper understanding than I could have ever imagined. Finally the moment was shattered when smaller dragons suddenly flew down to join us. I laughed when Snowfire pulled away and growled at them.

"What was _that_ about?" I asked.

' _Dragons have a stronger bond than humans can ever imagine_ ,' Snowfire explained. ' _The humans think we are violent, selfish creatures. We are so much more_.'

"I think I understand," I said, glancing uncertainly at the smaller dragons that were fighting over a half-eaten fish. One of them blew a fireball at the other, causing the loser to retreat further away. I couldn't resist a smile as I tossed a raw fish to the dragon that last. It stared at me in surprise before snatching the fish and eating it whole. "This is more amazing than I could have ever dreamed," I added in a whisper when the smaller dragon curled up beside me. "Can I go exploring?"

It was late in the afternoon by now. I'd pulled out my iPod, noticing that it still had a full charge from the night before. Surprisingly it was easy to keep track of the time here. Snowfire eyed me thoughtfully before answering.

' _I will go with you_ ,' she decided.

I was ready to argue when I thought better of it. Going out on my own was probably a stupid thing to do. Having a dragon as backup, definitely a big plus. Besides, Snowfire probably knew this forest better than anyone.

Carefully I climbed down the rocky slope. Being on the top of a cliff meant I didn't have much of a sense where I was. The bushes and shrubs that surrounded the area made that even worse. And my legs were stiff from sitting for so long. Snowfire was patient with me though. She stayed close in case I lost my balance. More than once I'd almost slipped and fell flat on my face.

' _You humans are so delicate_ ,' she hummed in amusement.

"Hey, you try climbing around these rocks on two legs," I retorted.

Though I was more embarrassed than anything else. I was never a good athlete at home. When I was younger I'd taken gymnastics, but I'd pretty much given up on that after the fourth grade.

Nearby I smaller trees with roots that were twisted and gnarled. Their branches reminded me of the one I'd climbed back at the campsite. Only these trees had deep claw marks and burn marks on them. A shiver ran through me when I realized that this was probably how Snowfire marked her territory.

' _I do not understand why you choose to stay on the ground_ ,' Snowfire said once we'd reached a valley. I looked at either hill and realized that there really seemed to be no end to this island.

"There's no way in hell you'll get me up there again," I snapped a little more forcefully than I'd wanted.

' _Why do you fear the sky_?' Snowfire's question made me stop in my tracks.

It was the one question that I dreaded the most when people asked it. Why was I afraid of heights? I could never explain the feeling properly without making someone laugh. It wasn't until Snowfire looked at me expectantly that I realized she wanted an answer.

"Well, it's hard to explain," I replied with a shrug. "I know that it seems dumb, but... I just don't like the feeling it gives me."

Luckily Snowfire dropped the subject after that. I found myself wandering deeper into the meadow. The grass here was lush and green, full of life. I pictured a younger version of myself running around here and shouting for the pure joy of it. It always amazed me at how much more innocent my life was back than.

' _It is getting late_ ,' Snowfire said in a warning tone. I hadn't realized until now that she was right.

"And I have to go all the way back," I grumbled irritably.

' _Going here was your idea_ ,' Snowfire reminded me.

I just stuck my tongue out at her before making my way back towards the cliff. Leave it to a dragon to have a sense of humor.

...

It was dark by the time I'd gotten back. Snowfire rested beside me after I'd gathered enough wood to build a campfire. Her chin was resting on my legs as I leaned against her. The stars here seemed to look back at me coldly. But from here I could make out almost every constellation. The sight was breathtaking, and surprising. I never expected the stars to look the same.

"Hey, Snow?" She opened one eye to indicate that she'd heard. "Are there any other dragons like you out there?"

' _Of course not_ ,' she replied. ' _There has and always will be one White Terror in the world_.'

I didn't bother asking what she meant by that. Exhaustion slowly crept over me. I hadn't realized just how long the day had been until getting back here. Tomorrow I would find a way back to my friends. I had to find them, and find a way back home.

* * *

 **AN: There's the third chapter. I know it's shorter, but it will probably be the shortest (hopefully) in this story. Next few will definitely be longer ;) Also, I'm both surprised and happy by the positive feedback everyone is giving me. Thank you for your reviews, they are always appreciated! :D**

 **Sil - Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked the changes ;) I plan on making them more noticeable later on, especially in the later half of Riders of Berk.**

 **Drunken Hamster - It's okay, I'm glad people are actually reviewing at all. Considering I've been on hiatus for months, I'm amazed readers even remember me XD And I'm waiting for the new episode of the Librarians tonight. It's become one of my favorite Sunday night shows :)**

 **The Silent Fury - Don't worry, I do have plans for them. It'll be slow progress though, not at all fast like in the original.**


	4. Hiccup

**Chapter Four**

* * *

" _We are, we are the living souls, With terminal hearts, terminal parts Flickering like candles, shimmering like candles, We're fatally flawed, we're fatally flawed..._ " Terminal, Jon Foreman

* * *

"Poor little freak... I always knew that you wouldn't fit in."

Laughter filled the air. I found myself standing in the middle of class, gazing at my classmates. For a moment I couldn't understand what or who they were talking about. That was until I noticed Jessica looking at me pointedly. Her scornful expression burned right through me.

"The best part is, you really don't have any excuses this time," she said with a laugh.

They're right... I couldn't explain any of this. Snowfire's connection with me, ending up in a world with dragons. None of it made any sense. But their laughter did. At school I was always laughed at. I was always seen as a freak, someone who just couldn't fit in.

Before I could say anything, my vision clouded over. It took a few seconds for everything to clear again. My eyes widened when I found myself laying on the edge of the cliff. This was oddly more familiar than the classroom I'd just woken up from. What bothered me about that dream was, before I'd ended up in the classroom, I'd dreamed about that boy again. Only this time things were different. His desperate expression had turned to a look of determination, and I couldn't quite place where he'd been at the time.

My thoughts were quickly shaken when I heard a growl beside me. The sound was just another reminder of where I actually was. Snowfire stood nearby, eyes narrowed and her body tense. I stared at her in confusion. Clearly something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" was all I managed to ask.

She didn't respond. Instead her wings unfolded, and before I could make sense of what was happening, she suddenly grabbed me and took off. The scream that followed was one that everyone could probably hear, even from this distance.

My stomach was doing somersaults as she climbed higher in the sky at a speed that seemed impossible. I had to close my eyes; one wrong move and I could easily slip and fall. From this height, death was inevitable. I suddenly wondered if this was how I would die, at the mercy of a dragon.

"Snowfire, put me down now!" My voice cracked when she suddenly dipped down. Wind tore through my clothes. The cold air made it hard to speak; this weather was not something I was dressed or prepared for.

Snowfire's talons suddenly extended, and I realized too late what she was about to do. The speed and accuracy of her attack amazed me. I assumed this was how she hunted her prey, and her target was right in front of us. Someone was clinging to the same black dragon I'd seen earlier for dear life. And they happened to be Snowfire's target.

Once she'd caught her prey, the black dragon struggled against her grip. It seemed he wasn't a match for her strength. Down below I could hear the kid who was riding him shouting in panic. Clearly he wasn't expecting to be someone's prey today. Snowfire threw the dragon once she'd reached her island, sending them flying into the ground nearby. I couldn't help but wince when they crashed.

' _Dragon slayer! Egg smasher_!' I flinched once again at the ferocity in Snowfire's voice. It was like something else had taken over her mind. The kid who was riding the black dragon finally regained his senses enough to back away, fear evident in his eyes.

"Ugh, that could've gone better." My heart nearly skipped a beat when I recognized the boy who was riding the black dragon. He stumbled out of the saddle, rubbing his face before finally looking at us. "You know, I have a very good explanation for being here," he quickly added in a sheepish tone.

' _I will rip your throat out, human_!' Snowfire shot back.

Wait a second... I wondered if this kid came from the village where those dragons were attacking. That would explain why she was so spiteful towards him. From what I'd gathered, dragons were hunted down and killed like wild beasts. Only, they weren't the wild beasts I'd assumed they would be.

The kid had a scrawny looking build, short auburn hair, brown tunic and green shirt. Judging by his appearance, he wasn't used to fighting. What surprised me was that his clothing was similar to what we thought Vikings would wear. That was when it suddenly hit me. This was the same kid from my dreams!

Before I could make sense of what was happening, I stepped in between them. Snowfire's narrowed eyes widened when she realized I was in the line of fire. She wasn't going to hurt them. Not if I had a say in anything.

"Snowfire, stop," I murmured, reaching out my hand. My legs felt like jello. I'm pretty sure the boy and his dragon could see that I was shaking. One wrong move and she could easily rip my hand off. I'm sure she would if we hadn't spent time together before all of this. "Please, they're not a threat. Can't you see that?"

' _He is one of them_ ,' she snapped.

"One of who?" I asked.

' _Those humans are responsible for hurting hundreds of our kind_ ,' she explained, her eyes narrowing at the boy once more. ' _Do you think I will let him or any other human get away with what they have done_?'

"Yes." For a moment I thought she actually would fight back. But she did something unexpected instead. Her snout pressed against my hand, and the cold air around us suddenly changed. "I know that you're upset, and for a good reason. But that doesn't make killing an innocent human right," I whispered.

' _Foolish hatchling_ ,' Snowfire chided me softly. ' _You would risk your own life for that of someone you do not know_.'

The boy was watching me like I was crazy. Heck, I probably was for standing up for him. Snowfire could've easily killed me if given the chance. But she didn't. And somehow I knew that she wouldn't. She wasn't a mindless killer like they'd said in the stories. She was different.

"Okay... I think it's time for us to leave," he suddenly announced. "Come on Toothless." I looked over my shoulder warily. The dragon he'd called Toothless wasn't budging. I tried not to smirk at the sight as the boy tried pushing the dragon, only to fall over in the process. "Really? You choose now to be stubborn?" he groaned.

The dragon didn't respond. Instead he suddenly stood up and approached us warily. Snowfire let out a warning growl, and for a moment I thought there would be another fight. This time though she stayed back, her eyes narrowed as she watched Toothless warily.

My own eyes widened when Toothless suddenly pressed his snout against my hand. In a moment, that same feeling I'd felt when I first touched Snowfire's snout returned. A shiver ran through me, and at once Toothless backed away and made a crooning sound to his rider.

"That was... weird," I murmured. "Snow, what just happened?"

' _He has bonded with you_.' Her response made me stare at her in confusion. Like, I thought bonding was something that only happened with one human. Then again, I knew so little about dragons that I couldn't be sure.

Awkward silence followed. Toothless still refused to budge, despite the boy's efforts in moving him. His eyes were trained on me and Snowfire. I waited for something else to happen when the boy suddenly turned to look at me.

"Wait a minute... you're the girl from my dreams!" he exclaimed. I blinked in confusion until realizing what he was talking about. In a split second I understood everything. At least the dream thing.

"Funny... I've dreamed about you as well." My voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear.

"Who are you?" His question didn't surprise me.

I just shrugged and patted Snowfire on the shoulder, her back now turned to me. She was probably just annoyed that I'd stopped her from hurting him.

"My name's Alex," I explained. "If I told you where I was from, you'd probably think I'm crazy... if you don't think that already."

"Try me." Again, I wasn't surprised by that question.

So I tried to explain the best I could how I ended up here. I told him about Jacob and Jessica, and how they were probably back on the island where he'd come from. Hopefully they were okay, I hadn't seen them in the last two days now. Finally I told him about finding Toothless when he was injured, and how Snowfire had brought me here to this island. By the time I was finished, the kid was looking at me like I was crazy.

"See? This is exactly what I was talking about," I grumbled crossly. The silence that followed only made things worse.

"So let me get this straight, you ended up waking up in the middle of a forest, with your friends, and don't even know where you are?" the kid asked, trying to figure out exactly what I'd meant by that.

"I can't really explain how it happened. All I know is, that it did. My friends are back there in your village or forest, probably wondering where the heck I am."

I bit the bottom of my lip, wondering if that was true. Once again, I wondered if they were actually worried about me. Jacob had always had a crush on Jessica. Now that they were alone, was he really appreciating the time they had together?

"Okay... this is where we leave," the boy muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Come on Toothless."

Once again the dragon didn't budge. Instead he opened his mouth and revealed his namesake. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Toothless had an almost comical appearance to him. He was completely different from the terrified dragon I had seen back in the forest.

"I'm glad you're okay," I murmured as he brushed his snout against my hand once more. Toothless only warbled in response. His eyes fell upon the boy who was staring at us in disbelief.

"How are you doing that?" he asked. "It took me days to gain his trust." Again Toothless made a sound that reminded me of laughter.

"Don't know," I replied with a shrug. "I'm still not even sure if this is real, or just another dream."

It felt real enough at least. Seeing Toothless in front of me, the boy from my dreams actually standing there, made me realize just how small I really was.

I glanced down at Toothless' tail, noticing for the first time a contraption connected to it. It looked like the tail fin on the other side, only this was handmade. Toothless lifted it as if to show it off, than made another crooning sound as the boy struggled to move him again.

"Did you make this?" I asked, amazed someone his age could make such a device.

"Yeah," he replied. "It's the only way he can fly again."

That made sense. The tail probably acted as a way to balance him. I had noticed that Snowfire had a tail fin similar to what Toothless had. Only hers was much larger.

"So, do you have a name?" I asked sheepishly.

"Hiccup." I blinked at the unusual name, but I found myself smiling. "I know, not the best name in the world," he added with a shrug.

"Hey, it's better than some of the names I've heard," I reassured him.

We stood there in awkward silence once again. By now Snowfire had finally returned to my side, her chin resting gently on my shoulder while Toothless stood protectively beside his rider. I hardly noticed it now. Being with Snowfire was oddly reassuring.

"Look, I really should be heading back to my village," he pointed out.

I barely noticed that time had flown by. The sun was beginning to set. Glancing down at my iPod, I realized that it was close to dinner time at home. Once again I found myself wondering what my mom was doing, or if the teachers had finally noticed our disappearance.

"Snow?" I looked at Snowfire cautiously. She wouldn't let him leave if she felt he was still a threat.

' _He is not like those other humans_ ,' she growled reluctantly. ' _But that does not mean I will not be keeping an eye on him._ '

"I guess I'll be going than," he sighed in relief when Toothless finally got up. "Thanks, for not letting her eat me," he added with a sheepish look towards Snowfire.

"No problem," I replied with a shrug.

Once he hopped into Toothless' saddle, the dragon took off with a roar. And of course I had to stumble and almost fall over the cliff. Luckily Snowfire had caught me before that could happen. My shoulders sagged in relief as I struggled to regain my footing.

' _Clumsy hatchling_ ,' she chided softly.

"Well that was... interesting," I murmured.

Memories of those dreams were still fresh in the back of my mind. Now that I knew Hiccup was real, I wondered if we shared some kind of destiny. I know it sounded corny, but it made sense as to why we shared the same dreams.

' _Get some rest, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire told me. ' _Tomorrow will truly test your courage_.'

I eyed her skeptically before shrugging it off. Sometimes it was better not to question a dragon's wisdom. Though now I was really dreading what tomorrow had to offer.

* * *

 **AN: Well, there's the next chapter. I'm really enjoying some of the changes, such as misspellings and such. I also hopefully added some character development in both Alex and Snowfire, which will add to an interesting mix.**

 **The Silent Fury - lol That is funny ;) Hopefully this will make more sense than the original. I want to build on it, and don't worry, there will be romance of course, and the usual teen drama involved with it :P**

 **Drunken Hamster - Don't worry, I don't have any plans on abandoning it like my last few stories. I'll be sure to update as quickly as I can too, just to keep readers on the edge of their seats ;)**

 **Sil - XD Their reactions would be priceless :P I'm looking forward to that moment!**


	5. The First Flight

**Chapter Five**

* * *

" _Ready or not, Here, here, here, here I come I'm about to show you where the light comes from, Oh, oh, oh ready or not Here, here I come. This is who I am I won't hide it I'mma take it all over the world, To the young, to the old, every boy and girl Ready or not, Here, here I come I'mma show the world where the love is..._ " Ready or Not, Britt Nicole (FT Lacrae)

* * *

"Why exactly are we doing this?" I asked as Snowfire looked over the cliff's ledge.

Snowfire only rolled her eyes in response, having gone over this at least a dozen times. I knew there was a reason why I dreaded this day so much. Her suggestion had made me wish that a hole would open and swallow me right there on the spot.

To say that I wasn't terrified was an understatement. The last two flights with her had not been pleasant. Snowfire had the speed of a fighter jet, or at least that was what it felt like that. She wasn't at all gentle and elegant like the birds I had seen flying around here.

' _Do not act like a hatchling all the time_ ,' she scolded. Her expression softened as she studied me carefully. ' _Do you wish to be stuck here forever_?'

I bit the bottom of my lip as I looked over at the sea thoughtfully. Waves crashed against the rocky walls, sea foam sprayed my face. Snowfire's question really did leave me wondering if I would ever get over my fear. Honestly, I'd always had my reasons of being afraid.

"I thought you would be happy to get rid of me," I admitted. Snowfire looked at me thoughtfully before answering.

' _I thought of doing that_ ,' she replied with a hum of amusement. ' _But I have seen how helpless you are on your own. It is obvious that you need help, hatchling_.' Her response only made me roll my eyes. Though she did have a good point. I would probably only last a few seconds on my own. ' _Now, you will learn what it truly means to be a dragon_.'

Doubt clouded my thoughts as I eyed her. Sometimes it was better not to argue with a wild beast that could kill with ease. I knew Snowfire wasn't that kind of dragon now. Her intelligence matched that of a human, maybe even more than that. The last two flights had caught me off guard. This time I was at least a little more prepared.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked warily. She had crouched down so that it was easier for me to climb on. I wasn't exactly the most confident person in the world, and I'm sure that she has noticed by now.

' _Of course_.'

With one final look at the ground, I swallowed back the last bit of fear and climbed onto her back. Once Snowfire had stood up, I realized just how tall she really was. This reminded me of riding a horse, in a way. I've never ridden a horse before, but I've watched plenty of people do it.

I took a deep breath when she spread her wings open. One of the smaller dragons had perched on a rock nearby to watch. Their small size made it impossible for them to keep up with a dragon like Snowfire. I'm sure they wished they could keep up.

Snowfire didn't give me any warning as to when she would take off. One moment we were safe and on the ground, and the next, wind was whipping past my face. I forced back a scream of terror, knowing that it wouldn't get me anywhere this time.

It had only taken Snowfire a few graceful laps to reach the highest point she could. From up here the island looked tiny. For a moment I closed my eyes, fear suddenly getting the better of me. My hands were clinging to her spines for dear life, and I was amazed that she didn't feel it. If she did, she wasn't giving any signs of discomfort.

Eventually Snowfire flattened herself so that she was level with the air currents. I finally found the courage to open my eyes, and when I did, I had no regrets.

My eyes widened in amazement when I saw islands scattered along the ocean. Down below I could see shapes slithering in the water. They weren't wales or dolphins like I was expecting. One of them breached, and I realized that they had the appearance of a dragon as well.

"This is... amazing," I managed to say after whooping with joy. Snowfire simply hummed in amusement.

' _I told you that you would like it_ ,' she replied in a smug tone.

I just rolled my eyes in response. She did have a good point. I'm not even sure why I was so terrified. Being up here on the back of a dragon was a completely different feeling. Here I felt like anything was possible. I was ready to say that out loud when Snowfire suddenly started going down.

An island soon came into a view. A very familiar looking island. Snowfire kept close to the clouds, using them for cover. If she was spotted, I'm sure they would shoot her down from the sky. I would never forgive them if anything like that had happened to her.

"Don't you think you're being risky by flying this close?" I asked.

' _The clouds make it easy to hide myself from prying eyes_ ,' Snowfire explained. ' _Still, it is fun to tease these humans every now and than_.'

She flew as close to the island as the clouds would let her. From here I could see the buildings now. To my surprise, most of them had straw roofs that looked fairly new. In fact, most if not all of the buildings looked new. Some of them had scorch marks on them, while others looked like they had been completely burned down.

"Hey, Snow, is this where the dragon attacks happen all the time?" I couldn't help asking that.

' _Yes_ ,' was her answer. ' _The humans here are violent and greedy. They do not realize that our kind needs their food in order to survive_.'

"But why do the dragons need their food? Don't they just eat fish?"

' _Something much larger lives on an island not far from here_ ,' she explained patiently. Snowfire was flying towards a cove, and suddenly started flying lower and lower to the ground. ' _Such a massive creature requires much prey. And sometimes, they prey on our kind. The creature has power over other dragons as well.'_

A shiver ran down my back at the thought of something bigger than Snowfire existing. I didn't realize that dragons were cannibals. It made sense though, since reptiles often turned to cannibalism during hard times.

"So... does this dragon have control over you?" I felt stupid asking such a question, since Snowfire was obviously here and not attacking the humans.

' _Of course not! No human or dragon has ever controlled me_ ,' she replied as if the question were an insult.

I couldn't help but grin at that. After spending three days with her, I wasn't surprised by that response.

Finally Snowfire had landed in the cove. My breathing had slowed down once she landed. The rush of flying was still with me. Snowfire hummed in amusement when I caught sight of someone familiar standing near the water, staring at us in complete shock. Toothless stood not far away, his eyes wide as well.

"Uh... hi," I said sheepishly.

"Hi..." I tried not to laugh when Hiccup let the word drag on. "Uh, h-how did you get here?"

"On her," I replied, looking pointedly at Snowfire as she rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I would rather swim the whole way, but I'd probably freeze by the time I got here." Or get attacked by a sea dragon. I wasn't sure what was worse.

' _You would have met a worse fate_ ,' Snowfire warned me.

"Look, I uh... wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday," I added warily. "Snowfire probably gave you a heart attack when she caught you."

I watched as Toothless and Snowfire met for the first time since yesterday. The two of them were already acting like long-lost friends. Toothless warbled in content while Snowfire hummed in amusement. I had to grin at the sight. Dragons really were amazing creatures.

"Hey, I've been through worse," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "This is actually the first time I've seen a White Terror up close," he added sheepishly.

Snowfire was eyeing him cautiously. To my surprise, she didn't attack like I was expecting. Instead her expression was almost impossible to read. The same respect in her eyes when we'd first met could be seen when she looked at Hiccup.

' _He has the soul of a dragon_ ,' she announced. I didn't know what she meant by that, but it made me smile nonetheless.

"She likes you." By now I was laughing when Snowfire breathed out a huff of smoke in his face, causing him to shake his head in annoyance.

I was even more surprised when she allowed him to touch her snout. Toothless had stopped running around by now and was watching us all curiously. Once again I laughed when Toothless actually looked a little jealous.

"Don't worry, bud, you're still my best friend," Hiccup reassured him as he began crooning again.

"So... where are you off to?" I asked after noticing the bags scattered beside Toothless.

It looked as if Hiccup was ready for a long journey, wherever that might be. Something told me that Hiccup wasn't expecting us to find him so easily.

He let out a sigh of frustration and leaned against a rock nearby, arms folded. I couldn't help doing the same. My mind wandered back to whatever Jacob and Jessica might be doing at the moment. They were probably around. I just hadn't seen them since Snowfire took me.

"My dad wants me to kill a dragon," Hiccup finally admitted.

His statement made me look at him in disbelief. I'd seen what the villagers did to dragons like Toothless. While we only just met, I knew that he didn't have what it took to kill a dragon. Heck, his best friend was a dragon!

"I can see why that's a problem," I murmured thoughtfully.

"All my life I wanted to be like him... and now with Toothless... he's changed everything," Hiccup explained with a sigh of frustration.

I didn't miss the anguish in his voice.

"Is there any way to convince him that dragons aren't dangerous?" I asked. Snowfire and Toothless had joined us shortly after, their eyes showing concern as they watched us.

"I wish," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "My dad's probably one of the most stubborn Vikings you'd ever meet."

Ha! So I was right about my theory of him being a Viking. But on to the bigger picture. I could see why Hiccup was so worried. It was obvious the last thing on his mind was killing a dragon. He'd seen how gentle and kind they were. That there was more to them than anyone could have ever imagined.

"Well, there's gotta be something you can do," I pointed out.

"Hey, if you've got an idea, I'm all ears." Before I could say anything, Hiccup picked up his bags and threw them onto Toothless' saddle before hopping on.

' _Foolish human_ ,' Snowfire growled when they took off.

"We should probably follow them to make sure they don't do anything stupid," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

Truthfully I was not looking forward to flying again. Once the rush of being up there was gone, I was more than happy being back on the ground. It felt safe down here. There were no chances that I could fall to my death unless I decided to walk off a cliff.

' _It will be easy to catch them_ ,' Snowfire hummed with confidence.

I laughed at the eagerness in her voice. It was obvious that she had a competitive spirit to her. Maybe that was what she had been looking for all along. A companion, and someone to compete with.

With that thought in mind, I climbed back onto her and she took off without a second thought. Once she was in the air, I clung to her neck for dear life again. Fortunately she didn't seem to mind. I leaned forward and saw that Toothless was already miles away from the island. Hiccup looked over his shoulder in time to see us not far behind.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted over the roaring wind.

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid!" I shouted back.

I held back another laugh when Hiccup just rolled his eyes in annoyance. Snowfire suddenly dipped down and rolled underneath Toothless, startling the dragon from his thoughts. I clung on to her for dear life, my hands growing numb from holding on for so long. Once Snowfire was finally in front of Toothless, she spread her wings out to make herself look larger than she already was.

' _You are getting better_ ,' she told me.

"Yeah, define better," I grumbled, my stomach lurching as I felt breakfast coming back.

"You know, most of the people I know would call you crazy," Hiccup pointed out when they finally caught up.

"And I'd say that you're absolutely right!" I couldn't help laughing at the expression on his face. "So, where to?"

"Uh... I'm not sure," he admitted.

' _It appears as though the Night Fury does_ ,' Snowfire pointed out. I looked at her in confusion until realizing she was referring to Toothless. Glancing down, I noticed that his eyes were narrowed into slits. His head was swerving left and right as if he was listening to something, or someone.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

Neither Hiccup nor Snowfire answered. Toothless suddenly started flying lower to the ocean. Snowfire was quick to follow his path, leveling herself out as the clouds began to build up. All the while I noticed that more and more dragons were beginning to join us.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when a two-headed dragon flew alongside Toothless. To my surprise, I saw that it was holding a sheep. A loud buzzing noise sounded in the distance, and my mind was beginning to grow fuzzy.

"You okay?" Hiccup's question made me look at him in confusion. I hadn't realized until that my vision was going in and out. We were headed towards what looked like a giant mountain reaching for the sky. I realized in a split-second that it was actually a volcano.

"Never better," I muttered under my breath. That buzzing noise didn't seem to end.

Finally Toothless veered into a large cavern. Heat and darkness seemed to swallow us up. I looked around frantically, seeing dragon after dragon clawing their way on the rocky walls. The buzzing noise seemed to grow louder and louder, and my vision was getting worse.

' _This place is evil_.' I barely heard Snowfire over the buzzing. Toothless landed on a perch nearby while Snowfire sat not far away.

"Well it's good to know that our food is being dropped into a pit," Hiccup muttered after a dragon dropped something down into the pit.

"Why would they need all this food?" I managed to ask.

My question was answered when a small dragon with a round body, chubby, boulder-like tail. It hovered over the pit for a few seconds before dropping a half-eaten fish. I pressed myself against Snowfire's back. That wasn't enough to sustain whatever was down there.

That something happened to make itself known once the dragon had dropped it's fish. My heart was racing with panic when a huge jaw erupted from the darkness below, snapping the smaller dragon with one bite. A roar followed shortly after, sending shivers through me.

"Toothless, we need to get out of here now," Hiccup suddenly announced.

"I'm right behind you," I added once Snowfire took off.

The four of us barely managed to escape. This was the first time I ever felt truly terrified. That creature, it had to be a dragon, was bigger than anything I had ever seen. It's jaw was almost the size of Snowfire's torso. And now we knew that it was hurting the other dragons in order to keep itself fed. Whatever happened to the dragon, I knew that it had to be stopped. And something told me that it would need to be stopped soon.

* * *

 **AN: Well, here's the next chapter! Things haven't changed too much here, but there will be changes to come. Also, I just got Ant-Man on digital, so yeah... I might be away for a while, but I'm not sure. Depends on what my schedule is like :P**

 **Drunken Hamster - lol, I try ;) And don't worry, I've got big plans for them... some of them not very good plans though :P**

 **Sil - Yes, she did go a bit overkill. But she's just following her instincts ;)**


	6. The Plan

**Chapter Six**

* * *

" _Don't tell me that I'm wrong I've walked that road before, And left you on your own And please believe them when they say, That it's left for yesterday And the records that I've played, Please forgive me for all I've done So I, I bet my life, I bet my life I bet my life on you, I, I bet my life, I bet my life I bet my life on you..._ " - I Bet My Life, Imagine Dragons

* * *

"What the hell was that thing?" I asked as we flew as far away from the volcano as possible. My voice was trembling from what had happened. The buzzing noise had finally stopped, but I had a headache afterwords. I'm still not quite sure what that was about. All I knew was, that dragon had been controlling all the other ones, including Toothless.

' _There is a legend that is spoken among the dragons_ ,' Snowfire began. ' _It speaks of a creature that is as large as a mountain, and can control those who are beneath it_.'

Toothless shook his head as if to agree with her theory. He crooned softly at Hiccup as he tried to reassure him. Even I had to wonder how such a creature could be stopped. If that creature was responsible for the dragons attacking the village, than it was much stronger than anyone could have ever imagined.

"It makes sense," I suddenly muttered. "That thing is like the queen bee, controlling the other dragons."

"That's the island my dad's been looking for all these years," Hiccup added.

The two of us were flying side-by-side. After what we saw back there, I wasn't in any hurry to go back.

' _Dragon Island_ ,' Snowfire mused. ' _Most of our kind claim it as their nest_.'

"So, I'm guessing your dad wants to kill all of those dragons?" I asked, my voice quiet as I looked on ahead. Snowfire was still on edge from anyone mentioning humans.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied, glancing uneasily at the cove that loomed ahead. "Look, I can't let my dad find that island. If he does, he'll get everyone killed along with himself."

"Then what do you suggest we do about it?" I asked. "If your dad is as stubborn as you claim he is, I doubt he'll just listen to you."

There had to be a way to stop him. I'm not sure why, but I found myself worrying for the dragons more than the humans. Maybe it was because Snowfire had found me before they did. Or there was something deeper going on.

"Either we could run away and never look back, or I go back and tell him the truth," Hiccup replied with a shrug.

Hm... Running away didn't seem like a bad idea. But I would be filled with guilt knowing that thing was out there. What if it decided to attack the humans itself? That would only end in disaster for the humans and the other dragons. Plus, I couldn't leave Jacob or Jessica behind.

' _Lying will only make things worse_ ,' Snowfire pointed out.

"I vote for telling the truth!" I said excitedly. Hiccup just gave me a look of annoyance before nodding in agreement. "So um... what exactly do we tell him?"

"We?" Hiccup repeated in surprise. I just smirked in response.

"Hey, we both saw that thing," I pointed out. "Besides, you shouldn't have to face your father's wrath alone."

Why was I suddenly so concerned about a kid I barely knew? Because we shared similar pasts. It only just dawned on me that Hiccup and I were very similar. His father didn't seem to trust him, and I had never gotten along with my own father.

"Alright," he said thoughtfully. "But uh... I'm not exactly sure how my father's going to react to... you."

Once again I found myself laughing at the prospect of meeting his father. It sounded like something a guy would say to a girl he was taking on his first date. Though usually it was the girl who showed off her father first.

"I'm sure he'll love me," I reassured him with a cheeky grin. "Everyone does!" Luckily Hiccup laughed at that.

' _I would rather go back to my island_ ,' Snowfire huffed as she looked at the darkening sky.

"You're welcome to go back any time," I reminded her.

Snowfire looked at me incredulously, like it was the craziest thing I'd ever suggested. I just smirked and started walking away. Three... two... one.

' _Perhaps I should stay, just in case_.'

"She really trusts you, doesn't she?" Hiccup watched in amazement as Snowfire pressed her snout against my hand once more. Her blue eyes were locked with mine once again, and I felt like I could stay there for hours.

"I can't imagine why she would," I replied with a shrug. "I'm terrified of heights."

"Well, you did something right. Even Toothless trusts you," he pointed out.

Heat rose to my cheeks faster than I thought possible. Was he only trying to make me feel better, or was he serious? Because I hadn't really done anything that could gain their respect like this. Snowfire had stayed by my side even when I admitted my fear.

"Shouldn't we be... going to your village?" I asked, trying to cut the awkward conversation short.

"Oh, right..." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "My dad's going to kill me when this is over," he added under his breath.

I only rolled my eyes in response and followed him out of a small cave leading into the forest. For the first time I realized just how huge this island really was. At least compared to where we were camping four days ago. It all felt so long ago.

As the trees began to thin out, a new thought suddenly crossed my mind. I wondered if the villagers would be as accepting to me as Hiccup was. If they were anything like Snowfire had described, I highly doubted it. I tried to push the thoughts away.

We walked on in awkward silence. I could only imagine what was going on in Hiccup's mind. He was probably imagining the worst possible outcome of what his father would do. I'd often wondered what my own father would do to me if he were still around.

"Hiccup, where've you been?" I flinched as an older looking man with a peg-leg and arm approached us. "Stoick's been lookin' for ya lad."

"Uh, Gobber... Uh, what exactly did he want?" Hiccup ruffled the back of his hair while I watched from behind a tree. Honestly, this guy looked like he could easily strangle me if he wanted to. And he probably would if he saw me as a threat.

"What d'ya think?" Gobber asked with a smirk. His eyebrow raised when he caught sight of me. I flinched under his curious gaze. "Who's this?"

"She's just a friend," Hiccup replied almost automatically. Gobber was eyeing me up and down, and suddenly I felt very vulnerable.

"The lass looks a bit like those two strangers ya found in the forest the other day," Gobber said in a somewhat accusing tone.

My heart almost soared with joy when I realized he must mean Jacob and Jessica. So they were okay! That made this trip all the more worth it. I just hoped they weren't too mad about me disappearing the way I did.

"Look, where's dad? We need to talk," Hiccup went on, ignoring Gobber's comment.

"I can see why," Gobber replied while keeping an eye on me. "He's in the house."

"Thanks." Before I could make sense of what was happening, Hiccup suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me along the path leading to a large house. All the while Gobber's eyes were boring into my back.

I'm sure that he had a million questions buzzing in the back of his head. Was it really so surprising to see a complete stranger? I shook my head at the thought.

By the time we reached the village, I wasn't sure what to expect. A few people were staring at us in surprise, while others just completely ignored Hiccup's presence. I'm sure by now he was used to it. But seeing their suspicious looks only made me feel even more unwelcome.

Finally we reached the largest building that was perched on a hilltop. Once inside, I noticed that it smelled faintly of wood-smoke. Large wooden beams held up the structure, most of them looking like they were freshly cut from the trees they once resembled.

"Hiccup, I've been looking for you." My heart nearly skipped a beat when an intimidating looking man appeared in front of us. He had the whole Viking look going for him, beard and all. "Who's this?"

I stared at him fearfully, wondering what he would do to me now. Hiccup had only just let go of my hand when he realized that he was still holding it. The man who I assumed was his father was immediately suspicious of my presence.

"Uh, dad..." Hiccup began after realizing that I was glaring at him. "Uh, this is Alex. Alex, this is my dad."

I eyed the man in question warily. His expression hadn't changed upon our introduction. He really was more intimidating than I could have guessed. Suddenly he did something I wasn't expecting. He burst out laughing, startling both me and Hiccup.

"Where'd you pick this one up, son?" he asked after catching his breath.

"Dad, we need to talk," Hiccup replied before I could explain myself.

"Of course, you were going to talk about how your dragon training is going," his father explained in an eager tone. I didn't miss the unease flashing in Hiccup's eyes.

I had to hand it to his father, he certainly knew how to change the subject.

"Look, that's not what I—" Hiccup was cut off when his dad suddenly pulled up a chair and looked at him expectantly. All the while I suddenly felt uncomfortable and awkward in this room. "There's something out there making the dragons attack our village!" he suddenly blurted out.

His dad just looked at him as if he was insane. I bit the bottom of my lip as I watched them. His father suddenly stood up and dusted off his outfit. Hiccup was bracing himself for whatever his father might do to him. And all at once I suddenly understood why Hiccup was so afraid to stand up to his father. I wished there was more I could do to help. But getting myself caught in the crossfire wouldn't get anyone anywhere.

"Ah, son, you just need rest," his father told him after patting him on the shoulder. "And as for your friend..."

"She could stay in the guest room," Hiccup suggested with a shrug.

Wait, weren't we getting off topic? Something told me this was exactly what his father had intended. I glanced down at the floor uncertainly. His father was still watching me with those same stern eyes. For a moment I was afraid he would throw me into prison, or whatever it was they threw us strangers in.

"She doesn't seem like a threat," his father finally said. "But keep an eye on her. Those other two have been at each other's throats since they showed up."

I assume he meant Jacob and Jessica. My eyes lit with hope as I stood right next to Hiccup.

"But what about the dr—" Hiccup suddenly cut me off by pressing his hand against my mouth. I only glared back at him in annoyance.

"I think it's time for both of us to get some rest," he announced. I was ready to argue when I caught the look in his eyes. Clearly there was something he wanted to talk about, without his dad hearing.

Before I knew what was happening, he was dragging me up the stairs, hand still covering my mouth. By the time we'd reached the top step, I grew tired of it and suddenly bit his hand. Hiccup let out a yelp of surprise and let go.

"Did you just bite my hand?" he asked, shaking out his hand as if to prove a point. I had to laugh at the expression on his face. The last time Jacob had done that to me, he had the same expression. Self defense would always be my first instinct.

"What happened to telling your dad about the dragons?" Hiccup only threw his arms up in frustration.

"Well, what else was I supposed to say?" he snapped. By now we had reached a large room at the end of the stairs. I noticed there was a desk placed against the wall, with drawlings and other papers scattered on it. "My dad's not going to listen to me, not unless it has something to do with killing dragons." He paused, and the anguish in his voice only made me wish there was something more I could've done. "I should've known this plan wouldn't work."

I looked at the desk thoughtfully, already having guessed that this was his room. Well, that only made things more awkward. I noticed that one of the sketches had what looked like a young girl with her hair tied up in a braided ponytail. His artwork was beautiful. I was amazed by the amount of detail he'd added in each sketch.

"So, what now?" I asked warily. I caught something hidden among the drawlings, one that stood out against the others. It looked like a quick sketch of Snowfire, and even that looked good compared to whatever I could drawl.

"I guess... I'm just gonna have to show him what they're really like," Hiccup replied after sighing in frustration. "The dragons we have captive are just like Toothless, maybe not personality wise, but they won't hurt anyone unless they feel threatened. If I can show them that they aren't a threat than maybe..." He paused as he tried to search for the right words.

"Maybe your dad will finally understand what you're trying to tell him," I guessed. Hiccup buried his face in his hands before nodding in agreement. "Okay than..." I rubbed the back of my neck as another awkward silence followed. "So... that guest room you mentioned earlier..." Hiccup looked at me in embarrassment when he realized where I was getting with this.

"Oh, sorry," he murmured sheepishly. "It's the second room the left." I gave him a thankful nod before turning towards that direction when he stopped me once again. "Hey, uh, I just wanted to say thanks," he added.

"What for?" I asked in surprise. It's not like I'd actually been any help. If anything, his father had just used me as an excuse to cut off his explanation short.

"For listening to me," Hiccup explained with a shrug. "Your the first person I've ever been able to talk to, about this."

I couldn't stop the blush from following when it happened. Luckily Hiccup didn't seem to notice. If he did, he wasn't giving any indication. He was the first guy I'd ever talked to who actually sounded _interesting_. And I wasn't just saying that because we'd just met.

"And thank you, for not thinking I'm completely insane," I said with a laugh.

Hiccup's reassuring smile was all I needed to see before heading to my new room. I wasn't sure if saying that was the right thing. I mean, his father was kind enough to give me a place to sleep for the night. But I wasn't sure how long that would last.

The moment I reached my room was when I realized just how exhausted I was. The feeling that I would never get back home didn't help. Jacob and Jessica had to be safe somewhere in the village. I just hope they didn't get themselves in trouble in the process of staying here.

* * *

 **AN: Hm... I'm beginning to like the rewrite more than the original now, but maybe that's just me. So here's the next chapter, and hopefully it is better than the original ;)**

 **Drunken Hamster - Well, I did add quite a few changes to it :P It's fun when you get the chance to point them out ;)**

 **Sil - I'm glad you spotted the changes... The ending is going to be even better too, but that's a long way away.**

 **The Silent Fury - Well, Alex ended up getting taken by Snowfire, which leads to some interesting decisions :)**


	7. The Final Test

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

" _One by one we will call for a ceasefire One by one we will fight for a better end, One by one we could rewrite the headlines Standing side by side One by one, love is building an empire One by one, reaching out to our enemies, One by one we will make it to the finish line Standing side by side Ceasefire.._." - Ceasefire, for KING and COUNTRY

* * *

For the first time in days I'd actually slept peacefully. I didn't have any weird dreams or nightmares. Glancing out the window, I noticed that predawn light was filtering through the glass. I held back a sigh and sat up.

Not for the first time, I wondered how my mom was doing. She obviously would know by now that I'd disappeared along with two other students. But would they try looking for us? I couldn't help but wonder if they would take the time to.

The room I'd slept in was a bit smaller than Hiccup's, but not by much. According to him his father's room was down below. I'd only just gotten a glimpse of what his father was like around him. A shiver ran through me as I wondered how he treated the rest of the villagers.

Slowly I made my way down the stairs, wincing at the creaking sound that followed. I wasn't surprised to find that Hiccup was already awake. His eyes were glued to a book while he sat at he table. Unease suddenly washed over me as I realized just how out of place I was.

"Morning," I finally muttered after sitting down next to him. Hiccup only jumped in surprise when he realized that he wasn't alone. Okay, maybe sneaking up on someone isn't the best ideas. But their reactions were hilarious. Hiccup was so focused on the book that he didn't even notice my arrival. "What are you reading?" I asked curiously.

"The uh... Book of Dragons," he explained sheepishly. I nodded as he showed me a page with words scribbled on them that I couldn't make out. It was just another reminder of how far away from home I really was. Norse was one language I'd never really shown any interest in.

"Are you trying to figure out what that thing we saw is?" I asked.

"Yeah, something like that," he replied, sounding almost bored. "I'm not finding anything in this book about what that dragon might be."

"Well, Snowfire seemed to know a lot about it," I pointed out. Hiccup looked at me in surprise. "Sorry, she uh... it's kind of hard to explain how we're able to communicate. But she said that thing is responsible for the dragons attacking your village. It's keeping them under control."

For once, understanding lit in his eyes. It was just like I had said the other day. That big dragon was the queen bee, and the dragons under her control were the hive workers. It suddenly all made sense as to why they attacked the village every few days. They steal the food and don't get eaten in the process.

"Even with that information, we still don't know what we're up against," Hiccup sighed in frustration. "My dad has no idea just how dangerous this really is."

I bit the bottom of my lip when I realized that he was probably right. His father had shown us just how stubborn he really was when it came to the dragons. But even if we took the dragon on, we couldn't do it on our own. Snowfire might say otherwise, but I knew she would be no match for that massive beast.

"Well then, I'm not sure what to say," I murmured with a shrug. "Unless you're able to convince some people otherwise, this might be an impossible task." Hiccup was ready to speak again when I cut him off, "I'm not finished. It might seem impossible, anything is possible if we put our minds to it."

"Wait, what do you mean by we?" Hiccup looked at me as if I was crazy again. By now I'd gotten used to that look. I only rolled my eyes at the look he was giving me.

"I mean, there's no way in hell you're going up against that thing alone," I snapped. "Not if I can do anything to help."

I surprised even myself by saying that. Where did this sudden courage come from? Normally I would've cowered in the corner of a room without looking back. But seeing that big dragon hurting the others had only resolved my will to fight back. I couldn't believe how much I had changed in such a short time. Hiccup's mouth was hanging open as if he'd wanted to say something, than he thought better of it.

"Uh, thanks," he murmured.

"So... your dad seems nice enough." Well, so much for keeping this from getting any more awkward than it already was.

"Yeah, as nice as stubborn and Viking-like can get," Hiccup put in with a cheeky grin. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

After Hiccup was kind enough to give me fresh clothing (I'm not even sure how he guessed my size or found anything), we'd decided to spend the morning exploring the village. Hiccup showed me pretty much all the best spots in the village. A few of the locals had given us weird looks. Some had even asked if I was his girlfriend. That question still left me feeling even more awkward, if that were possible.

"Alex?" I stopped in my tracks at the sound of Jacob's voice. A crowd had gathered in the center of the village, and I spotted Jessica squaring up a young looking blond girl, the same girl from the drawling I'd seen in Hiccup's room.

"Jacob!" I cried out of pure happiness. He had no idea just how happy I was to see a familiar face. "W-How did you get here?" Was all I could ask when we hugged.

"Well, it wasn't easy," he admitted with a shrug. "This guy was kind enough to bring us here when he found her caught in some pitfall. She's lucky no one's killed her yet."

"Looks like someone's about to change their mind," I said with a smirk. The blond let out a battle cry and swung a fist towards Jessica, who only just narrowly dodged the blow. Jessica's eyes narrowed with annoyance as she clumsily tried fighting back. "So, this is what you do with your free time?" I asked as Hiccup walked over to join us.

"She's obviously done something to tick Astrid off," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "Though that's not hard to do."

"You two know each other already?" Jacob asked, looking at us suspiciously.

"Uh... yeah," I replied sheepishly. "It's kind of a long story."

"Come on, you should meet the others." I glanced at Jacob warily before shrugging. Some things were better left unsaid. Besides, they had been here longer than me. I wanted to meet everyone before things went from bad to worse.

"They don't seem that bad," I murmured thoughtfully.

Though I'd seen the way everyone was staring at Hiccup when we walked by. They'd looked at him as if he was some kind of outsider. Some of them had looked at him in disgust. And their expressions were all I needed in order to make me want to punch them in the face.

"Yeah, they may seem nice at first, but looks are deceiving," Hiccup reassured me.

I didn't miss the emotion in his response. It made me feel all the angrier towards those people who'd stared at us. Now I suddenly understood what Hiccup had meant when he said they wouldn't believe his story right away. And why he was so reluctant to bring me here in the first place.

Already I could see how tense Hiccup was when we reached the forge. Heat rose from the chimney, and the smell of leather and burning wood filled the air. My eyes narrowed when I caught sight of a group of teens walking around the corner of the forge. One of them stopped when they noticed us.

"Please tell me there isn't another you around here." Hiccup ruffled the back of his hair in embarrassment when Astrid strode over to the group. I glanced over my shoulder to see a now beaten looking Jessica standing beside Jacob. Her left eye looked swollen, and her lips were bleeding.

"Hey everyone, this is Alex." Hiccup introduced me to them shortly after. I just folded my arms and watched them carefully, noticing that only Astrid was glaring back at me. I met her glare with one of my own. The tall guy with muscles and black hair was known as Snotlout (just another wonderful name), the twins were known as Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and the built guy was known as Fishlegs.

"Hi," I said with a small wave of my hand. Astrid was still giving me the death glare, to which I returned the gesture. She was about to learn that some people weren't meant to be messed with. I'd learned to deal with people like her a long time ago. Clearly, Jessica hadn't.

"So, what's a strange little chick like you doing in our village?" Snotlout asked after shoving Hiccup aside.

He received a vengeful look from said teen seconds later. I just looked at Snotlout in disgust before pushing him away. The look he gave me was priceless.

"Hiccup was just showing me around," I explained. "I wouldn't want to bore you about my sudden appearance, it's a long story."

"A long story?" Jessica asked in disbelief. "Pa-lease, you totally abandoned us back there with that dragon! We wouldn't have gotten away if—" Jacob stopped her before she could finish. The others were now looking at me warily, and I held back a sigh of frustration.

Nice, way to make me look more suspicious than I already do, Jess. You're such a great person. I exchanged an anxious look with Hiccup, who looked like he wanted to say something when Fishlegs broke the awkward silence.

"Don't you have a dragon killing test to attend?" he asked in a sheepish tone.

Dread washed over me when I remembered what Hiccup had said the other day. There was no backing out of this fight. One way or another, Hiccup was gonna have to prove his village that they were wrong.

"We were just on our way there," Hiccup reassured him.

Before anyone could say anything, Hiccup grabbed me by my wrist once again and led me away. I could feel everyone's stares burning into me. They probably thought I was some kind of freak. I'm sure Jessica had already convinced them that.

"You seem more tense than usual," I murmured as we made our way towards the end of the island.

My eyes widened when I saw a large looking arena on the cliff's ledge. A giant net covered the top of the arena, and large wooden doors marked the entrance. I could hear growling and whimpering noises coming from within, and assumed that the dragons were being held inside.

"I'm just nervous," he admitted. "I have no idea how my dad is going to react."

I nodded in understanding. Hiccup had every right to be afraid. I'd be worried too if mom knew the dangers I was putting myself in. She'd probably ground me for life if she ever found out. Once again I wondered if Jacob or Jessica would ever throw themselves into this kind of danger.

A large crowd had already gathered inside the seats that resembled bleachers. I recognized Gobber and a few other familiar faces sitting in the crowd. To my surprise Jacob and Jessica were among the crowd, sitting with Snotlout and the other teens.

"Well, I can show my face in public again."

Hiccup's father stood in the center of the crowd. He was standing between Gobber and an elderly looking woman who held on to a cane. I flinched when her eyes fell upon me. There was something creepy about that stare. And than it only just dawned on me that Hiccup's father was the Chief.

"Your dad's the Chief?" I asked in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, yes," Hiccup replied.

"If anyone would have told me that within a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being... well, Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training, I would've tied them to a mast and shipped them off for fear of going mad!" Everyone burst into laughter at that. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes in annoyance. Couldn't his father see how hurtful those words were? "And you know it too!" By now everyone was roaring with laughter, and Hiccup couldn't meet their faces. "But here we are, and no one is more surprised or proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. Today, he becomes one of us!"

The crowd went on cheering, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for Hiccup. Here he was ready to prove his dad wrong. And the crowd was expecting him to do the complete opposite. I couldn't believe that they were so blind as to see there was more to him than they realized.

"Hey, you'll be careful out there with that dragon, right?" I asked once we reached the entrance to the arena. People were actually looking forward to watching an innocent creature die. Their anticipation made my stomach twist in disgust.

"It's not the dragon that I'm worried about," he admitted while shooting a look at his father.

"Just remember that you're not alone," I reassured him. "If anything goes wrong, I'll jump in and help."

I was surprised by my own choice in words. Before entering this world, I never would have put myself in the line of fire. But this world was so different compared to ours. And I felt responsible for whatever might happen to him, and the dragons.

"Alex, if anything happens to me, please just don't let them find Toothless," he suddenly whispered.

"I will." I couldn't take my eyes off of him when he took a deep breath. That was when Gobber chose that moment to join us. I hadn't even noticed him slipping away from the crowd until now so that he could be with Hiccup.

"It's time, Hiccup. Knock 'em dead," he said.

Hiccup simply nodded before walking towards the gate. I stood beside Gobber, biting my lower lip while waiting for the moment to happen. The gate opened painfully slow. Hiccup put on a facemask for better protection against the dragon's smoke. Once the gate had opened, I ran towards the entrance into the arena to get a better view.

He reached for the nearest shield as the gate to the dragon's cage opened. My skin was already crawling with unease as a low growl sounded from within the cage. Once the gate was opened wide enough, a large dragon with huge wings, a big mouth and thin torso erupted from within. I thought I remembered Hiccup calling it a Monstrous Nightmare, or something along those lines.

I jumped back in surprise when the dragon threw a fireball at the gate I was standing by. The crowd only seemed to cheer louder at that, and I only rolled my eyes in annoyance. The dragon's entire body was covered in flames. It only took me a second to realize that it was looking for an escape route.

By the time the flames had started going out, the Monstrous Nightmare turned so that it was now facing Hiccup. I could only watch on in horror as the dragon glared daggers at him. I had to remind myself more than once that this was part of the plan. Hiccup knew what he was doing, I hoped.

"Go on, Hiccup! Get 'em!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Slowly but surely, Hiccup had started walking towards the gate I stood at. The Monstrous Nightmare was walking towards him, growling in confusion and anger. It didn't take a genius to see that he was trying to gain it's trust. To my amazement, it was working.

"Hey, it's okay... it's okay," Hiccup said in a soothing tone. The dragon raised it's chin in confusion as it watched Hiccup warily. Hiccup suddenly reached for his helmet and slowly took it off. "I'm not one of them." He threw the helmet off, catching the Monstrous Nightmare off guard.

"Stop the fight!" Hiccup's father suddenly shouted. My hands were clinging to the bars as I watched. At this rate the Monstrous Nightmare was going to attack, and Hiccup was defenseless.

"No! I need you all to see this!" Hiccup called back. He slowly reached his hand out like he had with Snowfire. I understood now that this was how dragons bonded with humans. It gave them a deeper connection than anything I thought possible. "They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them." He was ready to touch the Monstrous Nightmare when his father ruined the moment.

"I said stop the fight!" his father repeated, this time slamming his fists against the metal bars.

The moment his father's fists slammed the metal bars was when things went from bad to worse. The dragon's eyes narrowed into slits, and it let out a roar of fury. It suddenly lashed it's neck forward, almost snapping off Hiccup's hand in the process. Of course it chose that moment to start chasing him.

"Hiccup!" I wasted no time in trying to open the gate. His father was already making his way down the crowd, barreling past anyone in his way. I didn't care whether or not I didn't have a weapon. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him.

"Alex, what are you doing?" I hardly heard Jacob's shout as I ran into the arena.

The Monstrous Nightmare had Hiccup cornered, and it was ready to let out a burst of flames when I suddenly threw a rock at it. The dragon whipped it's head around and turned to face me. My blood ran cold as I gazed into it's eyes.

"I really need to think these things through," I groaned as I started running. Hiccup had grabbed another shield, but the Nightmare only charged right past him. In a split second I thought the dragon would have snatched me up.

"Get out of here!" Hiccup cried as the dragon roared in fury.

"I'm not leaving you to face that thing alone!" I shouted back.

"Quickly, this way." I hadn't even noticed his father catching up to us.

With one final glance over my shoulder, I ran over to the gate, but the Monstrous Nightmare blew another fireball. Hiccup was suddenly caught in the crossfire, running in the opposite direction when he realized the dragon was gaining on him. I turned around in time to see that the dragon had him pinned in a corner.

My heart was pounding with fear when I realized too late what was happening. That was when I heard a distinctive screech. Everyone was looking around in the sky anxiously when they'd heard it too. I recognized that sound anywhere.

"Night Fury!" I heard Gobber shout as Toothless fired a plasma blast and burst into the arena.

The Monstrous Nightmare didn't hold anything back as it fought against Toothless. All I could do was stand and watch in horror as the Nightmare grabbed Toothless by his neck. The two were in a tussle until Toothless managed to break it up.

They had started roaring at each other shortly after. I couldn't tell who was loudest at this point. My ears were still ringing from being so close to them. Luckily it didn't long as Toothless managed to drive off the Monstrous Nightmare.

Once the Nightmare had backed off, Hiccup tried shooing Toothless away before the dust cleared. I looked around frantically, realizing that everyone was staring at Hiccup in disbelief as Toothless remained by his side.

"Alright, Toothless go, get out of here!" Hiccup shouted. He looked up in time to see everyone reaching for their weapons, including his own father. My eyes widened in horror when I realized that they were about to kill Toothless. "Go! Go!" He desperately tried getting Toothless to flee. His father had finally reached them, axe raised in his hand. "No, dad! He won't hurt you!"

Unfortunately, Toothless saw his dad as the enemy. I'm pretty sure they could hear my heart racing as Toothless knocked aside the other Vikings and charged after Hiccup's father, pinning him to the ground. Toothless let out a roar and was ready to fire a plasma blast when Hiccup stopped him just in time.

"Toothless, stop!" Toothless swallowed his plasma blast and looked at Hiccup with round, innocent eyes, only to have a fist slammed into his cheek. The other Vikings had closed in on them, and they chose that moment to tie Toothless up before he could get away. "No, please, don't hurt him!"

My heart twisted with pity as I watched the scene unfold. I'd never felt more useless in my entire life. There was nothing I could do to help. These people would likely see me as a threat if I stood up to them now. Everything we had hoped for had gone horribly wrong. And it wasn't about to get any better.

* * *

 **AN: So this chapter is significantly longer, and I may or may not have done that on purpose ;) Also, the newest Pokemon game just came out today, so it might be a while until the next update. Though since I've already got most of the first movie typed already, it might not be too much of an issue.**

 **The Silent Fury - I'm thinking of just writing a series of one-shots about how they react, but I'm not quite sure yet. I don't feel as if there was a really good reaction in this chapter /:**

 **Sil - XD Well, you were close :P She certainly as a way with words, and annoying everyone with them XD**

 **Drunken Hamster - Nah, I never really threw that one in there until the last few chapters. Though I might mention it a few times now that she has friends tagging along for the journey. And no problem, hope you liked this chapter :)**


	8. A Crazy Idea

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

" _Tonight And you know you're never sure, But you're sure you could be right If you held yourself up to the light, And the embers never fade in your city by the lake The place where you were born Believe, believe in me, believe, In the resolute urgency of now And if you believe there's not a chance tonight..._ " - Tonight, Tonight, Smashing Pumpkins

* * *

The village was in an uproar when Hiccup's father dragged him out of the arena. I only barely managed to get by when people started asking where the hell I'd come from. Knowing them they would think I was plotting with the dragons if I told the truth. Things were already chaotic as it was.

"Alex, Alex!" Jacob's shouting had stopped me in my tracks. "What the hell was that about? Why would you put your own life in danger for someone you barely know?"

"Because, he isn't like you or Jess, in fact, he's not like anyone on this damn island!" I snapped, my voice raising to a pitch. By now everyone was staring at us, and I suddenly felt very out of place. "You haven't seen what I've seen. I'm not going to let him face his father's wrath alone."

I left before Jacob could get another word in. He was still staring at me in disbelief. I didn't care. I was sick and tired of hearing people put him down just because he was different. Now I understood why leaving was his first choice.

Finally I reached a large building that Hiccup had called the Great Hall. This was where they held feasts or celebrations. According to Hiccup, this was one of the loudest places in the village. And I could see what he meant by that.

Once inside I could see his father glaring at him. I hid myself behind a pillar while he started shouting again.

"I should have known, I should've seen the signs!" His father turned his back once again on him. "We had a deal!"

"I know we did, but that was before I... ah, it's so messed up!" Hiccup shook his head in frustration. Now I could understand why he didn't get along with his father. They didn't seem to understand each other. It didn't help that his father refused to listen to him.

"So, everything in the ring, a trick? A lie?" By now his father was shouting again, and even I was getting tired of it.

"I screwed up," Hiccup began, once more trying to get his father to listen. "I should've just told you. I just... take it out on me. But please, don't hurt Toothless." I chose that moment to step out of my hiding place.

"Hiccup was only doing what he feels is right," I started before his father could say anything to me joining them. "And if you're going to be an pissed with anyone, it should be me. This was all my idea."

His father just looked at me as if I was insane. I knew it wasn't in my place to speak before the Chief like this. But I couldn't stand by and let Hiccup get blamed for something that wasn't his fault. He wanted to help the dragons, and so far these people didn't give a damn what happened to them.

"It's the dragon you're more concerned about? Not your own people?" Hiccup's father glared at the both of us, and all of a sudden I realized what I'd put myself through.

Concerned about your own people? I almost laughed at that. If his father was so concerned than he wouldn't go after the dragon's nest, risking the lives of all his people. He had no idea what was out there, and he was willing to take that risk.

"He was just protecting me," Hiccup tried explaining. "He's not dangerous."

"They've killed hundreds of us!" his father shouted.

"And you've killed thousands of them!" Hiccup snapped. His father only glared at him in response. For the first time, I realized just how brave Hiccup actually was for standing up to his father. Then I reminded myself that he was doing this for Toothless.

"They're just trying to defend themselves," I added.

"They raid our village because they have to," Hiccup said. "If they don't bring enough food, they'll get eaten themselves. There's something else out there that's bigger than them. It's a dragon the size—"

His father cut him off with a glare. Only than did I realize the mistake Hiccup had made. He clamped his mouth over his hand when he did as well.

"Island?" his father said with sudden interest. "So you've been to their nest?"

"D-Did I say nest?" Hiccup stammered.

"How did you find it?"

"I-I didn't find it," Hiccup stammered once again. "Toothless did. Only a dragon can find it."

By now his father was leaning forward, causing him to back away with fear. My mind was working overtime as I struggled to find a way out of this mess. His father was about to make the dumbest mistakes ever.

"Please, sir," I began as his father finally looked at me. "You have no idea what you're up against. This-This thing is like nothing you've ever seen." His father only glared at me in response.

"Dad, I swear to you that you can't win this one," Hiccup tried one last desperate time to stop his father, "For once would you just listen to me?"

I could only glare at his father when Hiccup tried stepping in front of him. What his father did and said next made me want to punch him more than anything else. This kind of behavior shouldn't be tolerated, especially when Hiccup was only doing what was right.

"You're throwing your lot in with them?" his father asked in disbelief after shoving him to the floor. "You're not a Viking. You're not my son." By now my stomach dropped with horror at those words. "Ready the ships!" he shouted after stepping outside.

If I could, I would've beaten the crap out of his father for acting this way. No one should ever hear words like that. And hearing those words only reminded me of what my father had done to me. All I could do was help Hiccup up while the others got ready to leave.

"Well, now I can see what you meant by your father," I muttered under my breath.

My mind wandered back to the scar on my shoulder. I'd never told anyone just how cruel he was. Jacob only heard bits and pieces of what had happened that night, but I never showed the scar. It was probably better that way.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's shout made me look up at her in surprise. Instead of anger, I saw worry flashing in her eyes. "What was that all about? I thought—" Hiccup cut her off with a glare. It was the first time I had ever seen him glare at anyone like this, but than again, I barely knew him.

"Astrid, not now," he snapped. "I've gotta fix this." Astrid looked like she was ready to argue when she thought better of it. Hiccup turned to look at me, determination written across his face. "We need to get to the cove. Maybe there's way to catch up to them."

"Snowfire can easily catch up to them," I replied with a nod of agreement. "Though something tells me she isn't going to help them. She's not too fond of humans."

Astrid's eyes narrowed in confusion. Her reaction was hilarious. I'm sure she was already trying to figure out what the hell we were talking about.

"Well we have to try something!" Hiccup threw his arms up in frustration.

"What about the other dragons?" Astrid suddenly suggested. The two of us looked at her in surprise. "Hey, I'm not blind. It's obvious you two are hiding something, and it has something to do with the dragons."

I couldn't help but blush when I realized that she was giving me a strange look. It didn't take me long to recognize it as a look of jealousy. She obviously thought there was something more going on between me and Hiccup.

"That might actually be crazy enough to work," Hiccup said after giving it some thought.

"I'll be back," I murmured after exchanging a knowing look with him.

Before Astrid could make sense of what I was doing, I rushed out of the building and pushed my way past Snotlout and the other teens. I could hear footsteps behind me, and looked over my shoulder in time to see Jacob running after me.

"Where are you going?" he asked once he caught up.

"Somewhere that doesn't concern you," I snapped. "Just wait with the others."

Of course he wouldn't listen. I held back a groan when I realized that he would only just follow me. Without a second thought I made my way towards the cove, remembering the path Hiccup had taken me on.

"So... is something going on between you and that Hiccup kid?" His question made me lurch forward in shock.

"Of course not!" I retorted a little faster than I'd liked. His smirk told me that he didn't believe me. I only rolled my eyes and stopped once we'd reached the entrance to the cove. "Wait here, I don't want your head getting ripped off," I ordered.

Luckily he actually listened to me this time. I climbed down the slope and was greeted by Snowfire the moment my feet touched the ground. Her eyes were narrowed thoughtfully when I told her what had happened.

' _We must do what we can to help_ ,' she mused after giving my explanation some thought. I only stared at her in surprise as her snout brushed against my hand. I hadn't noticed that Jacob was watching us from safe distance, his eyes wide in amazement and terror.

"Hiccup's dad is an ass," I muttered crossly. "What he said to him... I can't just forgive him so easily."

' _Be that as it may, it is our duty as dragon and rider to protect them_ ,' Snowfire reminded me. Her eyes locked with mine, and at once sudden understanding washed over me.

Everything that had happened before was because we were connected. This bond of ours was stronger than that of a normal human. I wasn't sure why she would choose me as her rider, but I knew damn well that it was now my job to protect her at all costs.

"Thank you," I whispered as I held her snout in my hands. "Without you I wouldn't have survived on that island. I would still be lost."

' _Destiny works in strange ways_ ,' she hummed in amusement. Then her eyes fell upon Jacob, whose expression was priceless. ' _And who might this be_?' she asked.

"He's not a threat," I replied. "Don't worry." Snowfire studied him for a few moments before looking back at me warily. I just gave her the faintest nods before climbing onto her back. With a deep breath, I locked eyes with Jacob. "Come on, he's going to need our help," I added. Jacob looked at us skeptically before walking towards Snowfire. I held out my hand and helped him up, grinning at his expression. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Who, me?" Jacob looked at me as if I was crazy. "I've just... never seen you act this way before."

I couldn't help but blush at that. Snowfire suddenly took off before I could say anything else. Jacob was clinging on for dear life while she climbed higher in the sky. Meanwhile I was watching the ground below for signs of Hiccup and the gang of Viking teens we'd seen earlier.

Fortunately Hiccup had already gathered everyone at the arena. They all gaped in surprise when Snowfire landed next to him. And of course they were even more surprised to see me jump off of her back. Jessica rushed over to Jacob's side, her eyes wide with terror when she looked at Snowfire.

"So, why exactly are we all here?" Snotlout asked after glaring at Snowfire. He had started reaching for his sword when Astrid stopped him.

"Because you're in for the surprise of your lifetime," I muttered under my breath. Hiccup just gave me a knowing smirk.

"Dragons aren't the enemy," he explained. "Generations of Viking fighting dragons, wasted, because no one understood them."

"Until now," I chimed in.

"This is your plan?" one of the twins asked.

"Dragons are more amazing than you could imagine," I murmured sheepishly. "Once you bond with them, it can't be broken." Snowfire nudged my hand as if to prove a point.

"And we don't have to kill them," Hiccup went on after nodding in agreement. "If we show that we're not a threat, they'll become more than just our friends."

' _We become family_.' I blinked when everyone looked at Snowfire in disbelief. She hummed in amusement at their reactions, obviously pleased by them. ' _I only communicate with those I trust_.'

"So, where do we start?" Fishlegs asked in an eager tone.

Even Snotlout looked anxious when I helped Hiccup open the gates slowly. It didn't take long for each dragon to emerge from their cages. Everyone watched on in either fear or anticipation. I glanced at Snotlout warily, afraid he would be the first to attack them.

The Monstrous Nightmare from earlier suddenly emerged from the cage, it's eyes narrowed warily. Snotlout reluctant reached out his hand.

"Just take it easy with him," Hiccup said quietly. "Remember, they won't see you as a threat if you let them approach you."

I tried not to laugh at Snotlout's expression when the Monstrous Nightmare suddenly pressed his snout against his hand. It seemed just as nervous as him. Snotlout had even closed his eyes until they made contact.

It didn't take long for the others to bond with their dragons. Astrid had chosen a blue-green dragon known as a Deadly Nadder. Fishlegs had chosen a bulky brown and white dragon known as the Gronckle, and the twins had gotten the two-headed Zippleback.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" Astrid asked once she had stopped the twins from arguing. I helped Hiccup onto Snowfire once I'd climbed onto her back.

"I'm never really sure of anything," I admitted.

' _Let us hope these humans can learn to work together_ ,' Snowfire put in. I couldn't help but nod in agreement to that. Things were definitely about to get interesting.

* * *

 **AN: So I lied about not updating more frequently XD Which is a good thing. I figured since I've already got so many chapters typed up, I might as well post them. Not all at once of course, but as often as possible. Anywho, hope everyone liked the changes in this chapter, next one will hopefully be just as exciting ;)**

 **Drunken Hamster - Well, for the movie anyways. I prefer combining all of the parts together, so this story will likely end up being even longer than the previous one, because I'm also including Defenders of Berk, and possibly Race to the Edge.**

 **Sil - Well, she could do just about anything to tick off Astrid. She won't be playing much of a roll in the first half of the story, but I plan on using her for something important later on ;)**


	9. Conquering The Red Death

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

" _Break their hold 'Cause I won't be controlled, They can't keep their chains on me When the truth has set me free This is how it feels when you take your life back, This is how it feels when you finally fight back When life pushes me I push harder, What doesn't kill me makes me stronger..._ " - Not Gonna Die, Skillet

* * *

"You okay?"

I couldn't help but worry over Hiccup's reaction to the way his own father had treated him. We'd flown on in silence, well, if you don't count the other riders traveling behind us. Jacob clung onto Snotlout for dear life while Jessica had stayed behind.

She refused to get on the back of a dragon, claiming that she was above scaly reptiles. I'd just rolled my eyes in disgust at her behavior, already deciding that she probably would never feel the joy of what it was like bonding with a dragon.

"I'll be happy once we find Toothless," he replied. Even Snowfire could sense his uneasiness. She flew on the same path Toothless had taken during their first flight together. Already a thin mist had surrounded us. I couldn't help shivering against the cold.

"I've never seen a White Terror up close," Fishlegs admitted as he marveled over Snowfire. "Is it true she can breathe ice as well?" Snowfire only let out a huff of smoke that caused his Gronckle to squeal in surprise.

"Yep," I replied with a smirk.

"So, what, are you two like a couple or something?" I almost flinched at Tuffnut's question. My face twisted from a look of pure shock, than it changed a split second later to a fit of laughter. Even Snowfire was put off by my reaction.

"Of course not," Hiccup retorted. I didn't miss the look flashing in Astrid's eyes, or the glare Jacob was giving Hiccup. Both of them looked a little stunned by Tuffnut's question, if not annoyed. "We're just friends," he added reassuringly.

I nodded in agreement, still unable to speak. It wasn't just the fact that his father was the Chief of Berk. The fact that we were worlds apart was also a huge factor. I was terrified of heights, didn't get along too well with my classmates, and failed miserably at math. The only friends I had probably hated me for leaving them behind. Jacob still acted like he cared about me, but I knew he was just doing it out of pity.

Luckily they had stopped asking questions when we reached the island. My eyes narrowed when I caught sight of the creature we had seen earlier. It was stumbling out of the volcano, it's roar echoing through the air. The sound sent shivers through me, and I'm sure the hair on my arms was standing on end.

Smoke and falling debris surrounded us. The dragon's massive head was swinging left and right as it tried to find it's victims. Snowfire suddenly threw a fireball at the dragon, catching it's attention faster than anyone expected.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, watch your back!" Hiccup shouted. "Move Fishlegs!" The twins aimed their Zippleback further away from the larger dragon, flying at a speed that almost matched the Deadly Nadder. Fishlegs managed to speed up his Gronckle after realizing that they were falling behind.

"Check us out!" Tuffnut shouted. Hiccup's father and Gobber looked at us in disbelief. "We're on dragons!"

"For the record, this was all her idea," Snotlout said pointedly. I only rolled my eyes in annoyance while Snowfire let out a roar, causing his dragon to fly in a circle. "Hey!"

' _Foolish hatchlings_ ,' Snowfire shouted, and this time Hiccup's father and Gobber heard. ' _Taking on a creature that size is like asking for death_!' I had to laugh at their expressions when she shouted that. It looked like they were ready to drop dead when they realized she was speaking to them.

"Every bit of boar-headed Viking you ever were!" Gobber shouted back.

"Fishlegs, break it down," Hiccup ordered.

"Okay, heavily armored skull, tail-head built for smashing and crushing. Watch out for both," Fishlegs instructed. I watched with wide eyes as the dragon suddenly smashed one of the boats with it's huge feet. "Small eyes, large nostrils; relies on hearing and smell."

"Snotlout, Fishlegs, see if it has a blind spot. Make some noise and keep it confused," Hiccup told them. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, find out how many shots it has. Make it mad."

"That's my specialty!" Ruffnut replied gleefully.

"Since when? Everyone knows I'm more irritating," Tuffnut retorted after turning the Zippleback's head upside down. I couldn't help but smirk at that. Some things never changed.

"Astrid, see if it has a week spot," Hiccup added to Astrid. She nodded and took off towards the dragon. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that being said, we took off to find out where Toothless was. Snowfire was already pinpointing his location before Hiccup spotted him. We landed not far away from what was left of the burning ship. Snowfire shook her head irritably from the smoke as Hiccup jumped off and ran towards the ship.

' _Those children speak the truth_ ,' Snowfire suddenly said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. This really wasn't a good time to bring up a conversation that had left everyone feeling awkward.

' _You and that hatchling are oddly close_ ,' she hummed in amusement.

To which I just rolled my eyes in annoyance. For the last time, we were _not_ a couple! Even if it were possible, Hiccup obviously had feelings for Astrid. I didn't want to put myself between them. Especially after what she had done to Jessica.

"Come on, we need to go and help the others," I reminded her.

Snowfire was ready to say more. I knew she wanted to make it a point and make it seem like we were more than just friends. But it would only ever be that, if I stayed around long enough. Yes, he was kind and caring towards the dragon. But I knew we didn't stand a chance being together, especially with his father being the Chief.

Once we were close enough, Snowfire shot another blast of ice at the dragon. It's massive head turned on us, and I realized that it had more eyes than I thought possible. The creature let out a roar of fury until Snotlout brought out his shield and started banging on it. Once the dragon was distracted, Snowfire shot a fireball at it this time. Fishlegs and Snotlout were actually working together to keep the dragon distracted.

Unfortunately, the noise was becoming too much for their own dragons. Snotlout was suddenly thrown off his dragon, leaving Jacob to desperately cling on for dear life. I tried not to laugh when Snotlout started banging his hammer into one of the dragon's eyes.

"Yeah, you're the Viking!" Astrid shouted, making Snotlout grin triumphantly.

The dragon chose that moment to throw up it's head, struggling to shake off Snotlout in the process. Luckily he was holding on to one of it's scales for dear life and held on.

I looked down just in time to see the dragon smash another boat with it's foot. My eyes widened in horror when I realized that was the boat Hiccup had been on with Toothless. The trap that had kept the Night Fury down was sinking into the ocean below. Hiccup threw one desperate look at me before jumping into the water without hesitation.

"No!" Snowfire flew towards the ocean, but was stopped by a massive tail that swung in our direction. She clamped her jaws shut around the dragon's tail, causing it to roar in pain and fury. "Doesn't that hurt?" I couldn't help wincing at the sound of bone crunching under her teeth. Or at least I hoped that was what it had been.

' _No more than this will_!' Snowfire suddenly fired a blast of ice at the dragon's tail once she released her grip. She spat blood from her mouth as she flew higher in the air to avoid getting hit by the club-like tail.

"How many more shots do you have?" I asked warily. According to Hiccup, all dragons had a limit as to how much firepower they had.

' _More than enough to take this Red Death down_ ,' she replied. Well, now we knew the name of this dragon. Red Death seemed more than fitting considering all the devastation this beast had caused over the years.

Thankfully Hiccup had gotten Toothless free just in time. We were all getting worn out. This dragon was putting up more of a fight than I could've imagined. This was the first time I had ever fought in a battle, and now I could see why. The expression on my mom's face if she saw me now would be priceless.

"He's up!" Astrid shouted. She flew closer to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "Get Snotlout of there now."

"I'm on it," Jacob announced as he had better control over the Monstrous Nightmare. I couldn't help but grin back at him. He really did adjust well to this way of life.

The twins were keeping the dragon distracted while Snotlout jumped off it's horn and was caught by his own dragon. That was when the dragon suddenly opened it's massive mouth and started sucking in air. I watched on in amazement as Astrid and her dragon were slowly sucked in.

The familiar screech of Toothless sounded seconds later. Jacob had dropped Snotlout on the beach nearby just as Toothless fired a plasma blast at the massive dragon. Astrid fell off her dragon, letting out a cry of surprise. As suddenly as she was falling, Toothless had caught her before she could reach the ground.

"Go!" she whispered once Toothless had dropped her off nearby.

"Is there any chance that thing can fly?" I asked. This fight had gone on long enough. There had to be a way of taking down this Red Death without losing any more lives.

' _It has wings_ ,' Snowfire pointed out to me and Hiccup.

Toothless suddenly shot a plasma blast at the dragon's wings. Snowfire took off and fired ice at the dragon's wings, causing it to roar in fury. We caught up with them once the Red Death had started taking flight.

"That thing doesn't seem to have any end," I muttered crossly.

"We need to end this before it gets worse," Hiccup added.

Yeah, but how were we supposed to— My thoughts were cut short when the dragon suddenly fired an explosion of flames at us. Snowfire had blocked the heat with her wings; I'm not even sure how she wasn't effected by it. By now the Red Death was high in the air along with the both of us. I could barely make out Toothless in the smoke and ash while they flew in the opposite direction.

' _That creature is confused now_ ,' Snowfire informed me. ' _Confusion will lead to_ —'

"Frustration, got it," I said before she could finish. The Red Death had tried turning around, but it was stopped when Toothless fired another plasma blast after plasma blast. Finally it stopped in it's tracks and tried overtaking Toothless. "Now!" I shouted, and Snowfire shot a fiery blast at the Red Death, not missing a heartbeat as she swerved to the right. Unfortunately, she also happened to be in the path of it's tail that was swinging right towards us. My teeth ground together in shock when the tail swung right into her side, causing Snowfire to careen towards the ground in a spiraling path.

Panic swept over me when I realized that she had lost consciousness. She was quickly falling to to the ground. All I could do was hold on for dear life, and pray that she somehow woke up in time. This was not a good experience for someone who was already terrified of heights.

' _Hold on_.' Before I knew what was happening, a pair of wings suddenly flared open. Seconds later and we were rolling along the beach, causing pebbles to scatter along the way. My chest felt like it was on fire when I opened my eyes, realizing that Snowfire had protected me from the fall.

"Snowfire?" My voice was barely a whisper, and I hadn't realized how shaken it sounded until I wrapped my arms gentle around her neck.

' _Forgive me, for startling you, little one_ ,' she crooned softly. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized she was alright.

"I thought you were... I thought that we..." I choked back the worst as she pressed her snout against my shoulder.

' _We are safe_ ,' she reassured me.

"What about the others?" I couldn't help asking. Snowfire gently lifted her wing to reveal the carnage of the fight.

Along the shoreline, I could see the remains of broken ships. The dragons had landed nearby once the fight was over. Before I could make sense of what was happening, Jacob suddenly ran over and grabbed me in a hug.

"Are you alright?" he demanded when Snowfire let out an irritated growl.

"I'm fine, but what about—" Hiccup's father had stopped me before I could continue speaking.

"Hiccup!" he shouted after realizing that Toothless was hiding something, or someone. My heart raced with worry when I realized that Toothless' tail fin had been torn off during the fight. He looked exhausted, and wary of Hiccup's father. "Oh, son," he breathed, eyes dark with grief.

"Your hands are bleeding," Jacob said in an accusing tone. I glanced down and noticed that he was right. There were deep cuts on my hands from when I'd held on to Snowfire. I'd barely noticed the pain until now.

"I'll live," I snapped after pushing him away. Hiccup's father was shaking his head, and it only just dawned on me that something really could have happened to him. I sent a silent prayer, begging that he would be okay.

"I'm so sorry," his father whispered. Toothless finally looked at his father warily, sensing that he actually _did_ care for his son. His face was buried in his hands, and it actually sounded as if he was crying.

Finally Toothless lifted a wing to reveal a small boy that had been protected during their fall. My heart nearly skipped a beat when I realized that Toothless had done exactly what Snowfire did for me. Toothless could have died in that crash. But instead he had risked his own life to protect Hiccup's.

"He's alive!" his father shouted in pure joy after making sure he was still breathing. He smiled and placed his hand gently on Toothless' head. "Thank you, for saving my son," he added.

"Well, most of him," Gobber put in with a smirk. I only just realized what he was talking about. Well, it looked like Hiccup would share something in common with Toothless from now on.

* * *

 **AN: Whoot, another chapter right up top! And of course I used Skillet, because they're awesome, as the headliner lyrics. Yes, I did get to see them in concert at Winterjam, and yes, they are absolutely amazing ;P Anywho, big thanks to Sil for being my only reviewer, your support always helps encourage me to keep writing :)**

 **Sil - Me too, and you won't get to find out until another chapter or two. He's likely going to make more appearances throughout the second season that I type up :)**


	10. Aftermath

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

" _Play the bugle, play the taps and Make your mothers proud, Raise your rifles to the sky boys Fire that volley loud, News was bad on upland ave., metuchen mourn our loss Sons rebelled, while fathers yelled, and mothers clutched the cross..._ " - Charlie Boy, The Lumineers

* * *

"Is there any way of getting back home?" Jacob's question made me wince. He'd found a new friend during our time here. That friend happened to be a Monstrous Nightmare known as Sniper. Since he'd spent some time with Hookfang, Snotlout's newly named dragon, he'd grown fond of the species. Sniper was a purple and red Monstrous Nightmare, with the same fiery spirit as Hookfang.

"I'm not sure that's an option now," I murmured thoughtfully. "Besides, I don't even know if I want to leave now."

Truthfully I'd been spending as much time watching over Hiccup as I could. Jacob had gotten a little annoyed with the fact that we got along so well. Plus I wanted to make sure Toothless was okay while his rider was still recovering. The Night Fury hadn't eaten since the battle, and he looked like a wreck.

Speaking of Hiccup, he'd lost his leg during the battle. Gobber had replaced it with a leg brace, similar to his peg-leg, only with a little 'Hiccup flare', as Gobber had called it. I wondered how long it would take for the poor kid to adjust. Losing a limb was never easy, especially when it was in the line of battle.

Most of the villagers had stopped by to check on him. His father, Stoick, had been stern about how many visitors he could have at a time. But surprisingly, Stoick had let me stay. He seemed to understand that there was a connection between us. I wasn't sure what that connection was, but I had a feeling it had to do with the dragons.

Toothless lifted his chin warily when I stepped inside the house. The Night Fury's eyes lit up when he realized who I was and crooned softly. I sat down beside him on the stone slab that Stoick had brought in. Toothless had been using it as his bed, and often liked to burn it before falling asleep for the night.

"Hey bud, you think he'll wake soon?" I asked as I scratched his chin. Toothless only crooned in response. He just wanted his rider and best friend back, and understandably so. I hadn't realized until now how much I missed Hiccup.

The only other person who'd spent so much time in here was Gobber. I'd gotten to know him pretty well since than. Apparently Hiccup had been working for him before he started dragon training. His father had wanted to keep an eye on him because he'd gotten into so much trouble. But even Gobber could sense that there was something different about Hiccup. He'd never scolded Hiccup for being who he was. I actually found myself enjoying the blacksmith's company once I'd listened to his stories.

Toothless suddenly jumped onto one of the wooden beams as Hiccup stirred. He'd perked up almost immediately when his rider began to stir. I could see the hope in Toothless' eyes as he kept an eye on Hiccup. It really was a touching sight.

But I knew at that moment that it was time to go. The last thing I wanted was for Hiccup to know that I'd been watching him. Truthfully I just wanted to make sure he was okay before making a real decision about what to do next. I felt responsible for what had happened to him. Though Stoick had never blamed me for what had happened, I knew the others did.

Snowfire was waiting for me outside the house. Her scales seemed to glitter in the sunlight as she stirred from my approach. On her back was a newly made saddle that I'd put on. Thanks to a little help from Gobber, I was able to make a saddle that wouldn't feel uncomfortable during long flights. Snowfire had been reluctant at first when I put it on, but eventually she gave in.

' _You are not staying_ ,' she said in an accusing tone. Her expression told me everything. She thought I was making a mistake by leaving. The only mistake I'd made was putting my friends' lives in danger. They hadn't asked to be part of this, and now they were stuck here because of me.

"Look, you and I both know that I'll never fit in here," I explained. "Jacob and Jessica may seem to fit in fine, but that's only because they didn't spend so much time with Hiccup." People were already out and about, shooting us strange looks. I pressed my hand against her neck as Jacob approached me once again.

"You're really doing this to yourself?" he asked in annoyance.

"Yes..." I paused as I looked at the clear blue sky. "I want to know why we were brought to this world. Why you and Jess can't leave. Maybe the answer's out there somewhere." Jacob rose an eyebrow and leaned against a wall, his arms folded as he locked eyes with me.

"Alex, I've known you since the day we started kindergarten," he started. "We've been best friends since than, and nothing is ever going to change that. But since I've known you, all you ever do is run away from the problem." I winced when he pointed that out. He knew me a little too well. "Maybe it's time you started fighting for what you wanted, instead of running away."

' _The hatchling has a point_ ,' Snowfire chimed in. I just glared at her before shrugging them both off. ' _Perhaps in time these humans will learn to accept you, if you gave them a chance_.'

"This coming from the dragon who wanted to rip their throats out a week ago," I grumbled with a roll of my eyes. The look Jacob gave me was priceless. I hadn't really told anyone what Snowfire had wanted to do with them. And that was probably a good thing. "Look, I'm going. And no one is stopping me," I added.

Before Jacob could say anything else, I hopped into Snowfire's saddle and she took off. Wind whipped past my face, and thankfully I had gotten used to the rush of flying through the air. Though it had only been a few days, I'd been flying with Snowfire as often as possible. It was good practice for what I was about to do.

I spotted Astrid and her newly named Stormfly flying nearby. Astrid had spotted me as well and flew in closer, her eyes narrowed. The two of us didn't exactly get along well. She was a lot like Jessica in a way, though she wasn't nasty or vein.

"Where are you going?" she demanded. Snowfire let out a warning growl when Stormfly flew a little too close for comfort. The Deadly Nadder squawked in surprise and buckled. Astrid had to cling on for dear life until Stormfly had calmed down enough.

"I'm leaving," I explained without glancing at her. I'd already seen the way she looked at Hiccup. It was obvious she had feelings for him. Astrid had done her best to hide them. But it wouldn't be long before she admitted she actually liked him.

"Oh, I thought you and Hiccup were..." Astrid struggled to find the right words to describe whatever was going on between us. She blushed when she realized what she was about to say.

"We're not," I snapped, realizing as well what she had suggested.

"But why spend all that time with him?" she suddenly demanded, sounding angrier than before. "You were with him more than anyone on the island." Stormfly squawked once more as she realized that her rider was getting pissed off again. I held back a sigh of frustration when I guessed where this was headed.

"Look, I felt responsible for what happened to him," I explained as best as I could without losing my temper. "Hiccup didn't deserve to be treated the way he was by everyone. He's different, and in a good way. He was the only one who didn't think I was crazy. And maybe at some point we were more than friends. But he's the Chief's son, and I'm just some... random kid who was thrown into a world she knows nothing about."

For once, Astrid was at a loss for words. Her mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something. I couldn't believe that I just opened up to her like that. Considering the fact that she probably hated me, she could easily use this against me. Luckily Snowfire had left before Astrid could find the right words to speak.

We continued flying for hours until Snowfire had reached her island. I couldn't remember the last time I was here. To me this place had become more like home than the world I'd grown up in. The familiar trees and beaches suddenly made me wish I had never left.

' _Speak your mind, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire told me. ' _Holding in your frustration will only make it worse_.' I looked at her in surprise before sinking into the saddle. Even if that were true, there was no way I could shout my frustrations at her.

"I don't even know why I'm so angry," I muttered crossly. "She was just trying to help." And so was Jacob. I'd pushed them both away when they were only trying to help. Jacob did have a good point when he said that I was stubborn.

Snowfire landed on our cliff and let out a sigh of contentment.

' _You humans are such strange creatures_ ,' she said thoughtfully. I was ready to defend myself when I thought better of it. Snowfire gently nudged my hand with her snout before I rubbed it affectionately. ' _Perhaps you are lost and confused_. _This world has brought you here for a reason_.'

"Yeah? Well if that's the case, than this world can suck it," I snapped. I sat down and leaned against her, folding my arms in annoyance.

My shoulders slumped as I thought of what my life would be like had this not happened. We'd be back home by now with the camping trip far behind us. Life would be back to normal. I wish there was a way to turn back the clock so that I could spend more time with my mother. It was only than that I realized how much I missed her.

' _Why are you so concerned about finding a way back to your world_?' Snowfire suddenly asked.

"Because... I just don't belong here," I replied, struggling to find the right words to describe it. "I want to see my mom again, I want to pretend that this never happened."

' _Why_?' I flinched at her question, realizing too late what I had said. It's not like I regretted meeting her. And I had no regrets meeting Hiccup or the others as well.

"I don't know," I admitted.

' _Your home is here_ ,' she reminded me.

I was ready to answer when the familiar call of a Night Fury sounded. Snowfire stood up when Toothless landed on the cliff nearby, crooning in excitement as he spotted us. Her sudden movement caused me to fall over flat on my back. I only rolled my eyes when Hiccup helped me back to my feet.

"He just wanted to say hi," he explained sheepishly. Toothless scurried over to his side as I dusted off my shirt.

"I can see that," I replied once I'd regained my composure. Guilt suddenly washed over me when I realized that I had left without saying goodbye. It only worsened when Toothless nudged Hiccup towards me. He was leaning against Toothless for better support. "I-I'm sorry about what happened," I added.

"I know." Hiccup rubbed his arms up and down in embarrassment, as if he was afraid of what to say next. Truthfully I'd been dreading this conversation since we got back from the battle. I'd gone over the scenario as many times as I could. Each time it only ended in either shame, or embarrassment. "Astrid told me what you said to her," he added.

I couldn't hide the blush that followed even if I wanted to. "Remind me not to spill out my feelings to her," I grumbled crossly. Hiccup only smirked at that. I'm sure Astrid had told him how crazy I sounded when I told her everything.

"But are you really leaving?" he asked.

"Well... I don't really belong here with your people," I admitted with a shrug. "I was planning on finding a way back home. Jessica and Jacob don't belong there either."

' _Home is where the heart lies_ ,' Snowfire reminded me. I tried ignoring her as Hiccup looked at me in surprise.

"You're more than welcome to stay on Berk," he suggested.

"Would I be?" I thought back to the way everyone had looked at me. They had accepted Jacob and Jessica for the most part. But everyone was still wary of my presence. I think it had to do with the fact that I was closer to the dragons than anyone else.

' _Oh, just go with him already_ ,' Snowfire snapped. She suddenly shoved me forward. Once again he rose to my cheeks when Hiccup caught me before I could fall.

"You'd fit in perfectly," he reassured me. "You have just as much right to stay here as Toothless and the other dragons." Toothless made a crooning sound in agreement.

I looked at him doubtfully, wondering if he was right. Snowfire nudged my arm gently. Finally I thought back to what she had said about home being where the heart lies.

"I guess I could stay for a while," I decided after thinking it through. I rubbed Snowfire's chin as I gave the idea more thought. Staying on Berk wouldn't be too bad of a thing. I just hoped that I was making the right choice.

* * *

 **AN: There's the next chapter :) Yeah, last chapter was kind of rushed, but I did sort of rewrite it from the original. So... yeah. Anywho, onto review replies!**

 **Sil - Yeah, he really does care about her, though they would never admit it XD Jacob's more of a brother to her than anything else, or at least that's how I see them. And thanks for the offer, I actually do have the story saved on a backup file, but I might just rewrite the whole thing and turn it into a crossover. Thanks again :)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Thanks, I appreciate your review :)**

 **The Silent Fury - XD That would be fun to watch, though like I said, they are more like brother and sister than anything else ;)**

 **Drunken Hamster - Yeah, I apologize for that. Unfortunately there really isn't much else I can add... at some point I will probably have to rewrite it, but for now, I'm sticking with the original story in this case.**


	11. A New Life

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

" _Lost in skies of powdered gold, Caught in clouds of silver ropes Showered by the empty hopes, As I tumble down, falling fast to the ground I know I'll wither so peel away the bark, Because nothing grows when it is dark In spite of all my fears, I can see it all so clear, I see it all so clear..._ " Crystals, Of Monsters and Men

* * *

' _What are you doing_?' Snowfire asked as I looked down at my iPod. Surprisingly it was still at full charge. I thought for sure that it would have died by now. Jacob was sitting beside Jessica as she talked quietly, her expression impossible to read.

"How is it that my iPod still has a full charge?" I asked. Amazingly the screen hadn't been cracked at all during any of our flights. Normally these things were so fragile that the screen was the first thing to go. Jacob looked over my shoulder when he realized that I was still holding it.

"No clue, the thing should've died a week ago," he replied with a sheepish smirk.

"How is it that your iPod has a full charge when my phone died two days after we got here?" Jessica groaned in annoyance. "That's so not fair!"

Snowfire let out a warning growl, and Jessica backed away before things got any worse between them. I'd learned a short time ago that Snowfire did not like her. And understandably so. All Jessica did was complain about how cold it was here. She didn't appreciate the beauty this place had. Or the dragons that inhabited the island.

' _Perhaps it is magic_ ,' Snowfire suggested after an awkward silence followed. I had to laugh at that as I went through some of my old pictures. There was one with me and Abigail goofing off after school. Another of the time when Jacob and I had almost kissed. That had to be one of our most awkward moments. I didn't miss the look in Jacob's eyes when he saw that picture.

"You still have that picture?" he asked in disbelief.

"Do you remember that day?" I couldn't help but ask, ignoring his question. Jacob only nodded in response, the smirk returning to his face.

"Yeah, it was just before the school dance. Neither of us had the courage to ask anyone to go with us, so we went ourselves," he explained.

I couldn't help but smile at the memory. Those days were long gone. We'd spent so much time together as kids, than high school followed. Our lives had changed since than in more ways than one.

"We were throwing our own pity party," I laughed as I recalled how everyone had stared at us that night. No one expected it to actually be a fun night. "I wonder if things would be any different if we hadn't ended up here?"

' _Would you rather it be that way_?' Snowfire's question caught me off guard. I looked at her warily before shaking my head.

"No, I'm happy with the way things worked out," I decided. Before I knew what was happening, my hand gripped my iPod before I suddenly threw it over the cliff and into the ocean.

"What did you do that for?" Jessica nearly screeched. Her only connection to our world was suddenly cut off. But it made me more than happy. I didn't want any reminders of what we once had. This was the start of a new life.

"I don't need it," I replied with a shrug. "This is my home now."

' _You are such a strange hatchling_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement as she brushed her snout against the back of my hand. I couldn't help but nod in agreement to that. Strange I may be, but at least it was with good reason. ' _You should go back, the others are waiting_ ,' she suddenly added.

"So, is there a reason why you guys were keeping me out here all day?" I suddenly asked with a glance towards Jacob.

"Ah, well, er... It's kind of a strange thi—" Jacob didn't get the chance to finish when a loud roar sounded from nearby. We all looked up in time to see Hookfang barreling into us with Snotlout riding him. I pushed Jacob out of the way just before Hookfang crashed where he'd been standing seconds ago.

"Heh, I meant to do that," Snotlout started as Hookfang raised his head. Just when I thought things couldn't get any more awkward, Hookfang suddenly lit himself on fire with Snotlout still on top. "Ouch, Hookfang, that's the third time this week!" he shouted angrily after jumping off.

"Snotlout, how many times have I saved your ass already?" I muttered with a roll of my eyes. Hookfang's lips were curled in a snarl, his body still covered in flames. Jessica was smothering a fit of laughter while Jacob only rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Easy boy," I added under my breath.

In a matter of seconds, Hookfang had calmed down at the touch of my hand. Everyone watched in amazement as the fearsome dragon relaxed.

"Well, I can see why Hiccup likes to keep you around," Snotlout said after rubbing his hand on Hookfang's neck. The Monstrous Nightmare only let out a huff of smoke that covered his face.

"Well, this has been wonderful and all, but we really should be going," I stated before Snotlout could say anything else.

Without another word the four of us headed back to the village. Snowfire kept close to me, her presence oddly soothing. I was still unnerved about the way Snotlout referred to me as 'Hiccup keeping me around'. That made it sound like I was just a way to keep the dragons under control.

"Where'd you learn that kind of trick?" Jacob suddenly asked as we wandered through the center of the village.

"Don't know," I replied with a shrug. "I've been wondering that myself." Considering I was able to make fast friends with Toothless and the other dragons, it didn't make any sense. Hiccup had said that it took time and patience to gain a dragon's trust.

We walked on in awkward silence until I realized that Jacob was guiding me somewhere. For the first time I didn't bother asking where the heck we were going. By now I'd gotten used to getting lost in a place like this. If it wasn't for Snowfire I would've never found my way back.

"Alright, we're here," he announced.

I looked at Jacob in confusion as I tried to figure out where 'here' was. Then I noticed that something wasn't quite right about this clearing. What once was an open plot of grass now had a hut placed on it. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw Gobber working on the roof.

"Oi, it's about time ya got here!" he called with a wave of his arm.

"D-What is this?" I asked as we approached the building.

"Well, since you're staying we thought it would be a good idea to build a home," Jacob explained with a sheepish grin. "Stoick and Gobber already arranged places for us to stay, but this was Hiccup's idea."

All I could do was stare at the building in complete amazement. No one had ever done something this nice for me.

"Well, we would've been more than happy building a bigger house, but we weren't sure what size ya wanted," Gobber explained as he jumped down to greet us.

"This is... this is more than enough," I murmured. "You didn't have to do this."

"Go inside already," Jacob said, practically shoving me inside.

I just stuck my tongue out at him before walking inside. What I saw next made my heart nearly skip a beat. Long wooden beams stretched on either side of the single room. A set of stairs led up to what I assumed would be the bedroom. And there was a stone slab that was similar to what Toothless used to sleep on.

As I climbed the stairs, I noticed smaller carving details in the wood that resembled leaves wrapping around the railing. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. This had to be Hiccup's work. He was the only one I knew who had this much artistic detail.

Finally I reached the second floor where my new bed was. And I noticed that the bed itself had carved details on it, resembling snowflakes. This was more than amazing. I hadn't done anything to deserve such a home. I looked over at the bed and noticed there was a note on it.

' _Hope you like your new home – Hiccup_.' The words were written in English, and in Jacob's handwriting. But the fact that Hiccup had done this only made it that much better. I held the note up to my chest, not bothering to see if anyone was watching.

"Thank you," was all I could whisper. I walked down the stairs to see Snowfire waiting for me inside. She was resting on the stone slab when I approached her.

' _This is home_ ,' she mused.

"Yeah... I could get used to this," I replied after pressing my hand against her snout.

I'd only just discovered what dragons were capable of. Now that I'd found a home, I knew that there was no turning back. Berk had no idea how lucky it was. Dragons were amazing, powerful creatures that needed to be respected and treated as such. This was only just the beginning of our new life here on Berk.

* * *

 **AN: I thought it might be fun to add this ;) There will be one more somewhat short chapter after this, than we roll on to Riders of Berk. After that, I do plan on writing the second part of the series, which I left out in the original story, which will hopefully make things more interesting in the long-run :)**

 **Sil - She's definitely playing match-maker :P And thanks, I actually have been rewriting it, which means it will probably be posted (again) sometime in December if all goes according to plan, appreciate the offer though, thanks once again! :)**

 **Drunken Hamster - Yeah, it probably should've taken longer... I do have a description of Snowfire on my profile, but in a nutshell, she pretty much looks like Saphira from Eragon (the movie version), only she has an arrow-like tail-fin. Hope that helps a little :)**

 **The Silent Fury - XD That would've been funny, though she would never do anything to hurt him on purpose. Oh don't worry, I've got big plans for their future together, big plans indeed ;)**


	12. Stories of Old and New

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

" _I've got this place, That I've filled with empty space Oh I'm trying not to face what I've done, My hopeless opus I'm in this race and I'm hoping just to place, Oh I'm trying not to face what's become of me My hopeless opus..._ " - Hopeless Opus, Imagine Dragons

* * *

Hiccup had spent the next few weeks teaching me Norse. Jacob and Jessica always seemed to question why I wanted to learn the language. I simply said that I wanted to be able to read what their library had to offer. So far his patience seemed to never end. He'd gone over nouns, phrases and other various terms used in their language, and even taught me how to write it. We spent most of the afternoons teaching one another how diverse our cultures were.

Eventually I'd gotten the hang of it. Now I could sort of read the Book of Dragons, which had the most interesting information available. Because of that book I'd learned most of the basic information about each dragon that lived on Berk. Of course new species was still a possibility, but for the most part we had our regular visitors.

Every once in a while I would still have nightmares. I'd never told anyone about those horrible dreams. Usually I couldn't make sense of what was happening in them. But there were moments when I could see flash images of my father. Most of the time he was the vocal points of those nightmares. I didn't want to admit that I was afraid. I couldn't help but remember what he'd done to me all those years ago.

Fortunately I was sitting at the Great Hall this morning, and hadn't had any nightmares that morning. Hiccup was with me, along with Jacob and Jessica. While Jessica had never taken part in training a dragon or riding one, she had joined us for our meetings.

"I don't get how you two can chat about dragons all day," Jacob said with a shake of his head.

"There's still a lot we don't know about them," I pointed out.

"The Book of Dragon only explains so much," Hiccup put in. "I'd still like to know how you were able to bond with Toothless and the others so easily."

I simply nodded in agreement. That was a good question. It made me wonder if the reason behind bonding with Snowfire had anything to do with it. She wasn't like any other dragon I had seen here. Her intelligence was something that couldn't be matched with any human.

"You know, most normal kids our age wouldn't be worrying about these kinds of things," I suddenly muttered. Then again, most kids our age probably dreamed of living lives like these.

"Well, what did you normally do in your world?" Hiccup's question caught me off guard, and I exchanged a look with Jacob.

"We'd play video games," he replied with a smirk. "I'd totally kick your butt in Halo."

I just rolled my eyes at the remark, knowing that he was far from right. Every Saturday morning we'd play video games after getting our homework done. Jacob would argue over which game we play next, while I usually just popped the disk in.

Luckily we didn't talk about our old lives for too long. It was strange, thinking that this was part of our everyday lives now. Snowfire and Toothless waited outside the building, both watching expectantly. I spotted Jacob's dragon resting in the sunlight.

"So, who's up for a patrol around the island?" Hiccup asked when the others joined us shortly after.

"Can I patrol with Alex?" Snotlout suddenly asked. I just rolled my eyes once again. Snotlout really was one of the most obnoxious guys I'd ever met. It was a wonder Hiccup had done his best to avoid the taller teen. I'd seen how abusive Snotlout could act towards him.

"I think I'd rather take my chances on my own," I grumbled crossly. Snotlout winked at me, and I glared back in disgust. Some things never changed. He always seemed to flirt with every girl he saw. I'd seen him try flirting with Jessica, but she'd turned him down faster than he could ask her out.

"We'll be splitting off into groups," Hiccup instructed, ignoring Snotlout's attempts at getting a date. "Fishlegs, you're with me and Jacob. Snotlout, you're with the twins. Astrid, you can patrol with Alex."

"Just try and keep up," Astrid said with a smirk. She hopped onto Stormfly's back just as I'd hopped into Snowfire's saddle. Snowfire only huffed in annoyance at Astrid's competitive attitude. By now I'd gotten used to it. I was just thankful that we were finally sort of getting along. Though she seemed to spend more time with Jessica than anyone else.

' _I would like to see you try and outrace me_ ,' Snowfire growled. Of all the dragons I had seen so far on Berk, Snowfire was the most competitive. She loved to race the other dragons, and usually beat them by a long-shot. The only other dragon to ever meet her with equal speed was Toothless.

There really wasn't any reason behind us patrolling the island. For now Hiccup was just struggling to keep the teens from using their dragons as weapons. I could see that he got frustrated with them when they refused to listen. Especially the twins. They were known for causing the most mischief on the island. Tipping over yaks was their favorite sport.

Snowfire suddenly twisted elegantly in the sky, but her sudden turn had caused me to cling on to her saddle for dear life. I was reminded once again that a fall from this height could easily kill me. Snowfire seemed to sense my unease and leveled out.

' _Are you afraid, hatchling_?' she asked, humming in amusement at my reaction.

"Well duh, you would be too if you had a fear of heights," I snapped. Snowfire only crooned in amusement. I rolled my eyes when I realized that she was laughing. Leave it to dragons to have a sense of humor. Stormfly had finally caught up with us as Astrid struggled to keep us in sight.

"I thought we were patrolling the island," she shouted over the wind. I followed her gaze and realized just how far away we were from the island. From this distance I could see the mountains and forest. It looked tiny, yet close enough that we could reach out and touch it.

"The island is beautiful from this height," I breathed out. Snowfire crooned in agreement as she flew closer to the island. I noticed that a glacier touched either side of the island. The weather around here really was much colder than we were used to in our world. I'd gotten used to it though.

"Being on the back of a dragon, it gives you a whole new perspective of the world," Astrid put in. I looked at her in surprise when she said that. "I never really appreciated them until now. But thanks to Stormfly, the world has suddenly gotten bigger."

' _She speaks the truth_ ,' Snowfire hummed in agreement. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of exploring this world more. With Snowfire the possibilities were endless. I imagined going from island to island, discovering new dragons and new lands. Such a life sounded incredible.

We'd been flying for little more than an hour when Astrid decided to land at our meeting place. It was just outside the center of the village, and hidden enough that we wouldn't be spotted so easily. Snowfire landed with ease while Stormfly landed beside her. The Deadly Nadder had started preening her wings when Astrid climbed off.

"So, it looks like things are finally peaceful," Astrid mused once I'd climbed out of Snowfire's saddle. Luckily I'd gotten used to climbing in and out of it. Snowfire helped by crouching down to let me get in. With her being taller it was a matter of climbing over a leg, and I didn't want to cause her anymore discomfort than I already did.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Hiccup had told me about the dragons raids that occurred here for centuries. While dragons were spotted nowadays, they didn't attack like they used to. I was thankful we had taken down the Red Death. They no longer had to fear their own deaths, and could live on peacefully without having to hurt anyone else.

"Well, there hasn't been a dragon raid for the last two weeks," she explained with a shrug. Ah, so that's what she meant. There were still occasional squabbles and fights among the villagers. But it wasn't like it had been, according to Hiccup. "It was a mess during the dragon raids," she went on. "We'd have to replace at least one or two new buildings every time one happened."

I tried not to smirk as I remembered the first time we had seen the island. Jacob and Jessica had probably been found during a raid. Gobber had said that it was Hiccup who brought them in. I wonder what their first encounter had been like. Hopefully Jessica hadn't done or said anything to hurt him at the time.

Vikings must have a lot more patience than I realized if they were willing to fix their homes every few days. I know most people from my world would never do such a thing. It would cost too much money, which was in short supply.

"Do you like Hiccup?" Astrid's question caught me completely off guard. She was giving me that weird look again. All the while I could feel Snowfire watching us both warily. She knew the subject involving me and Hiccup left me on edge.

"Well, I... I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that," I stammered. God this was embarrassing. I hated being put on the spotlight. It was bad enough with Jacob constantly asking me if I liked him. For hundreds of times I had told that 'us' wasn't possible.

"I mean, do you _like_ him," she said in a suggestive tone. She was hoping I would say no. But truthfully I wasn't even sure how to answer that question. There was no way I could honestly answer that question. More feelings would be hurt than I'd like.

' _Speak your mind, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire warned me. I glanced at her warily as she pressed her snout against my hand.

"I don't know," I admitted, remembering that I'd had this conversation with Jacob not long ago. "I mean, he's nice, smart and caring towards the dragons. But he's also the Chief's son. What chance would I ever have if I said yes?"

Astrid looked at me thoughtfully. This was one of the ideas that had struck me hardest. I'd always had a crush on Jacob and could never admit my feelings to him. He had a crush on Jessica, and would probably ask her out eventually. That didn't leave me with very many options.

"You know, you're not as crazy as Jessica says," she murmured. I looked at Astrid in surprise. "For as long as I've known Hiccup, I always thought he wouldn't amount to anything. Then you show up, and... it's like he's a completely different person. He's opened up to you, and he's never done that with anyone. And now..." Astrid paused, and I suddenly understood where she was getting at with this.

"You suddenly have feelings for him," I finished for her. Astrid only nodded in response before looking away.

I was surprised by the rush of anger that followed. The only reason she liked him now was because he'd become more open. From what I'd heard, she barely noticed he existed before all this happened. My fists clenched as I forced myself to calm down.

"I know that it sounds selfish," she added. "But... I really do care about him."

"I think you should admit your feelings," I suggested after a few minutes of awkward silence had followed. "Because someone might just beat you to it."

Snowfire hummed in amusement at the expression on Astrid's face. I tried not to laugh, though I knew that I would probably pay for it in the end. There was no way I'd get in the way of their relationship, whatever it happened to be. This girl would probably never have any guys to worry about in the future.

* * *

 **AN: I couldn't resist adding in one last chapter before ending the first part ;) So next part will begin with the series Riders of Berk, than continue on to Defenders of Berk. Now, I might just do a side series on Race to the Edge, I'm not quite sure yet. But if I do, it will not be started until I'm finished with Defenders of Berk. Also, I wanted wish all of my readers from the United States, a wonderful Thanksgiving! :D**

 **The Silent Fury - XD I'm not sure that will happen, but we'll see ;)**

 **Sil - Thanks! And yep, Snowfire's definitely the mother hen in this case XD She likes to keep things interesting.**

 **Sophia Kaiba - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying this so far :) I do have big plans for what pairing Alex will be in, but I'm not giving away (hint, check out the story summary, you'll find out who she's paired with :P)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Thank you! You'll have to keep reading to find out :)**


	13. Part Two: How To Start a Dragon Academy

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

" _I set my eyes to the west, walkin' away from it all Reachin' for what lies ahead, I got my eye on it, I see my sweat hit the ground I put my foot in the block, This is the race of my life And I can't wait for this shot, 'Cause I can feel the wind at my back Chest is pumpin' like a heart attack, Feet are moving and my mind is locked Pressin' on with everything I got..._ " - Eye On It, TobyMac

* * *

In less than a year I had pretty much mastered the language of Norse. Hiccup had been the best teacher I could've asked for, and of course I had help from Stoick and Gobber. Unlike Jacob or Jessica, I was willing to learn new things. That had set me apart from them. Learning the language had given me a chance to catch up on every dragon species that lived on Berk. Now I pretty much had basic knowledge of dragons, unlike Fishlegs who was pretty much a walking encyclopedia.

Life on the island had been great thanks to Snowfire and Hiccup. We'd spent as much time together as possible. Fortunately Snotlout had stopped flirting with me and moved on to Jessica. Her reaction to his first question had been priceless. I almost wished I had a camera for that moment.

By now most people in Berk had gotten used to living among dragons. Well, mostly everyone. A few people still had trouble getting along with them. There were several incidents where Hiccup had to intervene and stop the dragons from fighting with one another.

Right now we were on a sea stack trying to decide who did the best tricks. Everyone had gotten used to flying on their dragons. Even Jacob had become a pro at it. He'd become good friends with Fishlegs, and the two were often seen talking about what dragon did what.

"Okay guys, best trick competition," Hiccup began before looking at everyone else. "Who's up first?"

' _None of these hatchlings can compare to my tricks_ ,' Snowfire pointed out.

I smirked and rubbed her neck in agreement. Snowfire only allowed them to hear her thoughts when she wanted. Unlike the other dragons, she had abilities that most humans weren't even aware of. I'd learned that she could breathe both fire and ice, hence her namesake. She could also regulate the temperature around her, and often proved this when she was angry with someone. Like Toothless, Snowfire was the supposedly the last of her kind.

"Me!" Snotlout suddenly exclaimed after Hookfang stood up. The Monstrous Nightmare only rolled it's eyes when Snotlout guided him to the ledge.

"Actually," Fishlegs started, "I was hoping—"

"Me!" Snotlout insisted, cutting Fishlegs off, and not for the first time.

"Sweet baby Thor of thunderstorm," Astrid said with a groan, "Go!"

"Oh, don't worry, we'll go," Snotlout boasted as Hookfang got ready to take flight. "And when we go, we're gonna light the sky on – fire!" He shouted as Hookfang suddenly took off and started falling.

I tried not to laugh at the sight as Snotlout shouted in terror. Hookfang had already flown through several sea stacks, and in one of them, Snotlout's helmet almost caught on fire. The sparks caused by the rocks was enough to leave it smoking.

Hookfang looked at his rider in amusement before twirling in the sky. Then he suddenly dove into the water, soaking Snotlout to the bone. Eventually Hookfang landed safely on the sea stack, still dripping wet from his dip in the ocean. Snotlout groaned until realizing that it was over.

"I'm alive?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm alive!" he cheered until realizing that we were all looking at him with amused expressions. "I mean, of course I am," he added.

"My turn," Fishlegs said excitedly. "Ready, Meatlug? Let's go!" Meatlug's wings started flapping, making a sound that reminded me of a hummingbird. Snowfire rolled her eyes as Meatlug flew in a circle a few times before landing seconds later. "Yes! New personal best!"

Fishlegs leaned forward to give her a hug. In response, Meatlug drew her long tongue and licked his face. Their relationship was a bit odd for my liking. But at least they got along. Unlike Snotlout and Hookfang, who always seemed to argue.

"My turn!" Ruffnut shouted.

"No, it's my turn," Tuffnut retorted.

"Uh, guys, same dragon," I reminded them.

"Oh, right," Tuffnut said as he bumped fists with his sister. Barf and Belch – that was their names – flew off the cliff seconds later. "Go left," Tuffnut ordered while pulling Belch's head to the left.

"No, right," Ruffnut complained while turning Barf's head to the right. They continued arguing a few more seconds.

' _Those two are more irritating than a herd of Terrible Terrors_ ,' Snowfire muttered crossly.

The others only nodded in agreement. We watched on as Barf and Belch flew towards another sea stack. The Zippleback suddenly started spinning out of control while the twins continued arguing. Barf and Belch suddenly threw back their heads, sending the twins flying upwards.

"Oh no!" Tuffnut cried as they started falling back down. "This is awesome and scary!"

Barf and Belch grabbed the pair before they could fall into the ocean. I'm sure that at this temperature, they would've frozen in seconds. "We almost died," Ruffnut gasped when they landed on the sea stack.

"Yeah, I know," Tuffnut agreed. "Go again?" I shifted in my seat as they prepared to take off again.

"I think it's our turn this time," I announced. Snowfire only hummed in amusement before jumping off the sea stack with all her strength. The force sent her flying higher in the air than I thought possible. Once she was in the air though, she started spiraling.

Once Snowfire had leveled out, she dipped towards the ocean until her wings were almost touching the water, turning it into a sheet of ice. It always amazed me at how well she could control the ice. Suddenly she started climbing higher in the sky, and once she was high enough, I let go.

This was one of the toughest challenges I had overcome. Most people wouldn't know by looking at me now that I had a fear of heights. Snowfire had helped changed that. Now I felt like a completely different person, and it was all thanks to her.

Everyone watched on in awe as snowflakes suddenly surrounded us. Out of all the tricks we'd learned, this was my favorite. The snowflakes reflected against sunlight created an almost magical illusion. Vibrant shades of blue, red, yellow and green bounced off the water and snow.

Finally Snowfire landed on the sea stack beside Toothless. The flurries were still hovering in the air before they suddenly dissolved. Once again it was oddly peaceful until the twins started arguing once more.

"Okay, that was amazing," Jacob admitted sheepishly.

I couldn't help but grin back. If it wasn't for Snowfire, I wouldn't have changed as much as I have. She'd really opened up my mind to the endless possibilities that were in store for my future.

' _I told you we could pull it off_ ,' she hummed in amusement as I rubbed her neck thankfully.

"Huh, not bad," Astrid said with a shrug. "I mean, for a beginner, that is," she added quickly. She turned and looked at Hiccup when he was ready to say something, "You might wanna take notes. Let's go!" She smirked before Stormfly took off.

"I wouldn't take it personally," Hiccup warned me. "She's always been competitive." I only nodded in agreement. Just a week ago she had been pissed because Snowfire was faster then Stormfly. The only reason she had forgotten about that was because of this competition.

Stormfly was doing tricks with her tail and wings. It was difficult to make out in the distance, but I noticed that they had gotten faster. Astrid managed to hold on as Stormfly twisted in midair before throwing her spikes into the side of a cliff. Finally Stormfly landed on the sea stack after twisting around once more, dragging her tail along the ground in the process.

"Alright, Stormfly!" she cheered.

"But can you do that without the dragon?" Snotlout asked with a smirk. Astrid responded by punching him in the arm, hard. I had to laugh at his expression when he rubbed his arm at the sudden pain.

"Looks like we've got a work cut out for us, eh bud?" Hiccup patted Toothless over the head.

Toothless wasted no time in flying down the sea stack and towards the ocean, flipping upside down in the process. Just as they were about to hit the water, Hiccup pulled Toothless upwards and flew straight. Water sprayed behind them as they flew towards the sea stacks. Once they had passed several sea stacks, Hiccup disconnected himself from the harness and jumped on top of a natural arch rock formation. I could only watch in amazement as he ran across the sea stack with Toothless flying underneath. Once he'd reached the other side, Toothless pulled out so that he made a safe landing after jumping.

By now everyone was cheering as Toothless fired several plasma blasts into the sky. "They're still the best," Astrid said with a grin.

' _He can still only breathe fire_ ,' Snowfire huffed in annoyance. I couldn't help but smirk at that. Snowfire was known for her pride, and it often showed during competitive sports such as these.

"It's okay, you're still the best in my eyes," I reassured her. Snowfire only hummed in agreement as Toothless flew in to join us.

' _I would expect as much_ ,' she replied. I just rolled my eyes at that. Some things never changed.

...

"What happened to performing your own trick?" I asked as Jacob's dragon flew close to Snowfire. Though it wasn't exactly as close as one could get when he was flying a Monstrous Nightmare. Sniper was still edgy around Snowfire, and understandably so.

"I... kind of chickened out," he admitted sheepishly. "Seeing you guys, and the way you've improved, it's really amazing."

"Well, you could be this good too," I reassured him. "It just takes practice."

' _And skill_ ,' Snowfire chimed in for only me to hear.

I only rolled my eyes once again at that. We were headed back to the village after the twins had started arguing again. Apparently they were fighting over who had more control over Barf and Belch. While the Zippleback may be one dragon, sometimes having two heads wasn't better than one.

Now that we were back it was obvious to see that the villagers weren't getting along with their new neighbors. Of course it didn't help that the dragons were causing all sorts of trouble.

"Bad dragon! Let go of my food!" a woman shouted while trying to pry a piece of bread from a Terrible Terror. Unfortunately the smaller dragon was strong enough to pull her out of the house. Then the Terrible Terror grabbed what was left of the bread and scurried away with it. "Drop that you pesky dragon!" she shouted when it hissed at her.

"Oh, this is bad," I whispered when we arrived at the square. Snowfire nudged my elbow with her snout while we watched the chaos that unfolded.

"Get off my roof, you pest!" another Viking shouted at a Deadly Nadder. Apparently it found his roof more comfortable than a bed of hay. Stoick had been too stubborn to admit that we needed a place for the dragons to sleep. Hiccup had suggested building stables, but of course his father had turned the offer down.

"They're usually not this bad," Hiccup insisted as a Monstrous Nightmare grabbed a basket full of apples.

"Let go of that! These are my apples!" the man cried as it began to pull them away. I couldn't help but grin as a Deadly Nadder ran into a laundry line, taking the clothing with it. Needless to say, this was an amusing sight.

"Give me back my laundry, you beast!" the woman who started chasing it shouted.

"In coming!" someone suddenly shouted.

Snowfire blocked my view just in time as dragons started flying over us. Unfortunately Hiccup didn't have the luxury of shielding himself from what happened next. I grimaced when I realized what was happening. Dragon dung was not something I had gotten used to. I was lucky Snowfire had the decency to do her business outside the village.

What surprised me was that the dragon droppings were a burning putrid green color. Once again I was thankful to have Snowfire around. She always seemed to know what I was thinking We than bumped into Mulch and Bucket as they held shields over their heads like an umbrella.

"Hey, Mulch, hey, Bucket," Hiccup greeted them uneasily. "Sorry about the—" He was pointing to what the dragons were doing.

"Every day at three o'clock," said Bucket. "The regulars at least. A trip of the cap."

"Better than the days when it was kill or be killed," added Mulch. I couldn't help but grin when he winked at us. Mulch and Bucket were some of the friendlier residents of Berk, who actually appreciated having dragons around. "Hey, we got some fish for that father o' yours," he added after turning to Hiccup. He than turned to Bucket. "Bucket, give the boy the bag."

Bucket than pulled out a bag that was torn open. I frowned when I realized that a dragon must have torn it open. It took Bucket a few seconds to notice the gaping hole. Then his eyes widened when he realized that the fish were all gone.

"I ate it already? Did I enjoy it?" he asked.

' _What a stupid human_ ,' Snowfire suddenly muttered. I only responded by sticking my tongue out at her. Coming from a dragon, that comment didn't really surprise me. But I was still annoyed with all the name calling. It reminded me too much of high school.

"Uh, no actually, Bucket, I'm afraid that the uh..." Hiccup pointed to the dragon responsible for this latest tirade.

A Terrible Terror was greedily swallowing the last of the fish. Two more Terrible Terrors had flown in to join him when he hid behind the house.

"What was that about them not being that bad?" I asked under my breath.

...

I didn't get much sleep that night. My dreams were constantly haunted with memories of our world, where Jacob and Jessica had come from. In them I could see my mom sitting in the living room looking at some books. Some of them were pictures of our old school where we would have graduated from. I often wondered what we would be doing had we not ended up in this world.

To my relief morning had arrived far too quickly. Snowfire had been keeping an eye on me while I slept. She had woken me up several times a few nights ago when I was suffering from nightmares. I'd never told her what they were, and honestly, I was afraid to.

Now I sat on my doorstep as I thought of how things had worked out yesterday with the dragons. The village was struggling to coincide with them. Unless there was a way to get them to agree with one another, there was no way this would go on.

It didn't take me long to notice that someone was approaching Hiccup's house. With a roll of my eyes, I recognized that someone as Mildew. Of all the people on this island, I hated him the most. He was like the angry old man you would find in every neighborhood, yelling at the kids to get out of their yard.

What bothered me about Mildew was the way he'd acted around the dragons. Of all the creatures he hated, it was the dragons he hated the most. And what was the deal with that sheep he always carried around under his arm? The thought sent a shudder through me.

"Stoick!" Mildew yelled while holding the sheep up in his arm.

"Here's Mildew with our complaint for the day," Gobber announced with a roll of his eyes once he and Stoick had stepped outside.

"You picked a bad time, Mildew," Stoick told him. "I'm in the middle of storing food. The freeze is coming."

I hadn't realized until now that Snowfire had joined me. She was peering over my shoulder through narrowed eyes. As much as Mildew hated dragons, Snowfire hated him even more. I'd never seen a pair squabble more than them. Snowfire had never let her voice heard around him, but I could hear her thoughts loud and clear when he was trying to insult me or Jacob and Jessica.

It didn't help that Mildew had put up the biggest fight against Stoick for letting me stay on the island. He'd never said anything about letting Jacob or Jessica stay. But for some reason letting me stay was like the biggest crime Stoick had ever committed. I felt bad that Hiccup's father had put up with Mildew for so long, and I felt partially responsible for it.

"It's those dragons again," Mildew complained. I spotted Hiccup hiding around the corner of his house, with Toothless not far behind. He caught my eye and gave the faintest nods, already knowing where this was headed. "Those demons aren't fit to live among civilized men. And the same goes for that brat you brought in." Mildew spoke the words with such venom that it sent shivers through me.

' _You call yourself civilized? I've seen Terrible Terrors with more manners than you_ ,' Snowfire retorted. Her response only made me smirk. She did have a good point.

"Neither are you, Mildew," Gobber reminded him. "Why do you think we built your house so far outside the town?" I tried not to laugh at Mildew's expression.

"Oh, very well, make your jokes," Mildew said with a scowl. He took a step forward, and the situation suddenly got awkward again. "Meanwhile these dragons are eating your villager's food, and tearing people's houses into piles of rubble." He pointed his staff towards all the carnage from yesterday.

"Mildew is right," a man said in agreement.

"They even disturb an old man's peace," Mildew went on as a crowd began to gather around them. Snowfire let out a warning growl to one villager who got a little too close for comfort. He jumped in shock at her sudden reaction, eyes widening in panic. "Can't you see the bags under these eyes?"

"He's right, he's hideous!" Gobber exclaimed.

"These are wild and unpredictable beasts!" Mildew continued rambling on. He tapped his staff on Bucket's head as if to prove a point. "They even cracked this man's skull like an egg!"

"Eggs?" repeated Bucket in excitement. "I love eggs; scrambled, poached, and over-easy!"

Mildew than turned to look at Stoick with a triumphant grin. By now everyone was whispering in agreement. I felt like hurling a rock at Mildew for stirring up the entire village.

"You need to put those beasts in cages," Mildew added. "If ya don't, they'll eat us out of our houses and homes, and destroy the entire village!"

' _I do not like where this is going_ ,' Snowfire growled.

"This is crazy," I muttered crossly. "The dragons aren't doing anything wrong, and Mildew's accusations are completely out of place. They're just doing what comes naturally."

Of course no one bothered listening to me. Most of them were agreeing with what Mildew had said. Stoick actually looked a little overwhelmed as some of them started arguing with one another. Fortunately Hiccup chose that moment to step in and calm them down.

"They don't mean any harm," he pointed out. "They're just dragons, being dragons."

' _Some more than others_ ,' Snowfire chimed in.

I chose that moment to cut in and stand beside Hiccup. If anyone had a say in what happened to the dragons, it should be us. After all, Hiccup was the one who brought peace between human and dragon. We just needed to let the idea sink in to the others.

"Hiccup's right, the dragons are only doing what comes naturally," I added. Stoick gave us both odd looks before speaking up once more.

"Look, Mildew, if there's a problem, I'll deal with it," Stoick reassured him.

"Oh, there's a problem Stoick. And I speak for the entire village when I say that you'd better do something about it," Mildew spat before walking away.

' _Foolish human_ ,' Snowfire hissed. ' _It is because of humans like him, that I do not trust them_.'

I understood all too well what Snowfire meant by that. There was so little I knew about her. Part of the reason the others feared Snowfire was because she kept to herself. Like Toothless, she had always been a solitary dragon until we met.

...

It was later at night that Hiccup and I were discussing the problems with dragons. Snowfire had decided to fly alone during that time. Her little spat with Mildew had left her on edge. Spending some time alone was probably just what she needed.

Stoick and Gobber had joined us for the meeting, and Toothless rested on his stone slab. At one point he'd even shared a half-eaten fish with me. Apparently it was a dragon's way of bonding with humans, and Hiccup had been forced to eat one the first time they'd met. Luckily I was able to turn it down, and Toothless went on cleaning his wing.

"I wish there was a way to stop the dragons without causing more problems," I murmured as I sat beside him.

I still felt uncomfortable around Stoick. Hiccup had noticed it, but luckily his father hadn't. Being around men in general had always made me uncomfortable. I never wanted to admit why, but Jacob was the only person who knew about that.

"We can't just let the dragons run around like they own the place," Stoick put in. He looked at the table thoughtfully as an idea came through. "We could put up signs," he suggested.

"Signs, for dragons?" Gobber asked doubtfully. I had to smirk at his expression.

"No, for the people!" Stoick exclaimed.

"Signs, for Vikings? We're not very big readers, Stoick," Gobber reminded him.

He did have a good point there. I often visited the library when I wasn't spending time with the others. Usually no one else was there, but Hiccup would sometimes go with me. I was surprised by the lack of house keeping. Most of the books were covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Then we'll build a huge net over the plaza," Stoick decided. Now it just sounded like he was getting desperate.

"Nets, you do realize that they breathe fire, right?" Gobber reminded him once again.

"I know very well, that they breathe fire, Gobber," Stoick retorted. Okay, now he was getting annoyed. I guess now wouldn't be a good time to point out that not all dragons breathed fire. Snowfire would be very insulted if she'd heard that coming from them. Stoick finally let out a sigh of frustration and looked down at the floor. "Maybe Mildew is right," he grumbled.

"Wait, dad," Hiccup chose that moment to cut in. Toothless made a crooning noise as he approached us. "What if we dealt with the dragons?"

"You?" Stoick asked in disbelief.

"Who else?" Hiccup asked with a shrug. Toothless was rubbing his chin against my arm. I couldn't resist scratching his neck in his favorite spot. "If anyone can get the dragons under control, it's us. We're the best people for the job."

"Snowfire could help translate for the dragons," I put in. "She's the only dragon we know who can communicate with humans..." When she wants to, I added silently.

"And she's also stubborn as a mule," Stoick reminded me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He did have a good point there. "Alright, starting tomorrow, you two will have to figure out a way to stop them."

"We'll be fine," Hiccup promised.

...

"Do you really think this plan of ours will work?" I asked as I leaned against the wall. Snowfire rested her chin on my shoulder while I questioned our plan. If worse came to worse, the dragons would tear the village apart by morning. This plan had to work.

' _It appears as though you have no other choice_ ,' Snowfire pointed out. ' _The wild dragons listen to no one. I doubt they will listen to a couple of hatchlings_.'

I could only hope that she was wrong. Otherwise we were all in trouble.

...

"Alright, gang," Hiccup started with confidence. We'd reached the plaza, Snowfire and Toothless standing side-by-side behind us. "There's going to be a few changes around here."

"Doesn't look like anything's wrong here," I murmured hopefully.

' _I wouldn't speak too soon, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement.

I turned just in time to see a Deadly Nadder being chased out of someone's house. A woman was trying to shoo it away as it stole a piece of bread. The dragon looked content with itself despite the crime it had just committed.

"Hang on, I'll help you," Hiccup reassured the woman as the Nadder turned with a glare.

I only watched on in amusement as Hiccup tried bonding with it. All that kept me from laughing was that we were supposed to be helping. I wasn't even sure what to do at this point other than stand and watch.

' _Foolish hatchling_ ,' Snowfire chided. Hiccup flinched as a flock of chickens suddenly started running past us. A Gronckle was giving chase, and I took the opportunity to stop it. Unfortunately the Gronckle's appearance had startled the Nadder, and it started giving chase as well. ' _Of course it would not listen_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement when Hiccup was pushed aside by the Nadder.

"Hey, I'd like to see you try and befriend that Nadder," Hiccup snapped. Snowfire only laughed in response, to which he just rolled his eyes.

By now I'd caught up with the Gronckle. You'd think it wouldn't be so fast considering it's bulky size. But it made up for that in brawn as it turned around to face me. Only it didn't attack like I was expecting to. Instead, it stopped in it's tracks and stared at me with wide eyes.

"There's a good Gronckle," I whispered as it nudged me with it's snout.

"Show off." I smirked when Hiccup said that.

The moment didn't last long though when another Gronckle was spotted nearby. The green and blue Gronckle had flown off once it realized what it was doing. Unfortunately, that left us with one other orange and yellow hungry one.

"Got a fish we can give it?" I asked.

"What, you don't feel like bonding with it?"

I just rolled my eyes at that remark. Since when did he get so snappy? That was when I noticed a Monstrous Nightmare and Deadly Nadder were fighting with one another at the top of a hill. My eyes widened when sheep that were caught on fire started running towards us. One of them had tackled Hiccup to the ground before running off again.

"Stop, drop and roll!" I called after the flaming sheep. "Snow, you wanna give the poor guy a hand?"

"Toothless, stop that fight," Hiccup instructed. Toothless wasted no time in getting between the two dragons, startling them from their fight. "We'll take care of the sheep."

I nodded in agreement when Snowfire looked at us in amusement. She wasted no time in using her ice breathe to put out the flaming sheep. As if they weren't traumatized enough, one of the sheep had chips of ice on their wool. I held back a fit of laughter at the sight when the sheep continued running blindly ahead.

Another sheep managed to knock Hiccup down for a second time before running off. Snowfire had reached my side when Hiccup got up, only to realize what time it was.

"Oh no..." Hiccup's words were cut off as the dragons arrived. This was not going to end well.

...

The sun was just beginning to set when I'd finished washing out the rest of the dragon dung from my clothes and hair. Snowfire was busy eating from a pile of fish she had brought for herself when I finished changing. After today's fiasco, I had a feeling I'd be dreaming about flaming sheep for some time.

"I guess I better check to make sure Hiccup's okay," I murmured after brushing out the last knot from my hair. It was more likely he had gotten the worst of today. After dealing with brawling dragons and flaming sheep, I couldn't blame him for not wanting to face anyone.

' _If anything, his pride was hurt_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement. I smirked and nodded in agreement. While Toothless had stopped the fight, that didn't mean the plaza wasn't a war-zone. I could only imagine what Stoick would say when he discovered what had happened.

"Well, here goes nothing," I sighed before stepping outside. Luckily his house wasn't too far away. I'd be lucky to get away without running into anyone. More specifically, I was hoping to avoid Jacob. We hadn't spoken to each other too much since I started hanging out with the others more often.

"Hey." Before I could even make a step, of course he spotted me on his way back. Sniper was close behind him, eyeing us both curiously. "Man, you look like you've been through hell," he added after noticing the fresh bruises on my arms.

"Gee, every girl wants to hear that one," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. "What are you doing out so late?" I suddenly asked after realizing he was usually back at his place by now.

"I was just doing some late-night flying with Sniper," he explained with a shrug. "Turns out we work together best at night. He's great at it. So... I saw what happened earlier today," he deadpanned.

"Oh... yeah, that..." I paused to try and describe how painful that experience had been. Truthfully I'd rather work with dragons than humans, but I wouldn't tell anyone that. Especially with the way Mildew had stirred up the entire village. "Hiccup got the worst of it. I feel like I'm the one who should be taking the blame."

"Well, it can't be as bad as you think," he tried reassuring me. Then he caught sight of the plaza, and all the destruction. "Stoick's going to kill you," he murmured under his breath.

"Better me than his own son," I muttered, my voice suddenly bitter. Jacob looked at me in disbelief, but I started walking away before he could say anything in my defense.

I walked on in silence, thankful to get away. Truthfully if it ever did come down to it, I would likely rather die than let someone else perish. I couldn't tell anyone what had happened to me back in our world when my father was still alive. There were just some things about those nights that couldn't be repeated to anyone. And those acts of violence were what led to who I was today. Nothing would ever change that.

Finally I'd reached Hiccup's house, only to hear Astrid's voice from up above.

"... Hard to believe you're both still standing," I could hear her saying.

"I'm gonna be seeing flaming sheep in my dreams for the next month," Hiccup groaned.

Without a second thought, I turned and headed back to my place. Something in the back of my mind told me that I shouldn't have even bothered trying. It was obvious that Astrid cared for Hiccup. The two of them were meant to be together. Maybe it was time I started seeing it that way.

...

It was early in the morning when Hiccup had called everyone to the old arena. Much to my amusement, Snowfire had nearly bitten his arm off for waking her up. It was only thanks to me that I had stopped her before she decided to. She wasn't in the best moods when it was this early in the morning.

Apparently Hiccup had come up with the idea of spending time in the old arena where they had trained to kill dragons. Everyone seemed on edge, especially the dragons. Astrid and Fishlegs were the only ones interested in Hiccup's plans involving the dragons.

"That's your big plan?" asked Ruffnut. "Train dragons?"

"Here?" added Tuffnut. "Where we used to kill them?"

All of their dragons other than Snowfire looked uncomfortable. She just kept her regal appearance as the others cowered near their riders. I imagined the other dragons didn't have very fond memories of this place.

"Right, because we don't do that anymore," Hiccup reminded them as he placed a basket next to Toothless. "That's why it's available." Toothless was eyeing the basket with interest, but a warning growl from Snowfire had stopped him from prying any further.

"Actually they do seem a little nervous," I pointed out while Astrid patted Stormfly on the shoulder. Stormfly was looking around warily, as if expecting someone to charge at her with a sword or an axe.

"That's because they're very sensitive," Fishlegs explained. He stroked Meatlug gently as her ears flattened back with unease. "Meatlug, especially. She lost a cousin here." I didn't miss how sad Meatlug looked when he mentioned it. "We try not to talk about it," he added in a whisper.

' _This place reeks of death_ ,' Snowfire hissed. No one except me seemed to hear her. I simply leaned against her for support, understanding what she meant by that. So many dragons had been killed here. So many innocent lives, taken because no one understood them.

"It's amazing that your dad gave you this place," Jacob put in as Sniper growled at Hookfang.

Astrid chose that moment to walk over to Hiccup's side and fold her arms. I suddenly started feeling uncomfortable when Snowfire nudged me gently. There were some things that were better left unsaid.

"Yeah... it totally would be... if he did. But he didn't, so that's another thing we shouldn't talk about," he said with a sheepish shrug.

"Wait, so you're going behind your father's back?" I asked warily. Something told me that no good would come out of this.

"There you go, talking about it!" Hiccup threw me a look that said, 'don't you dare say anything'.

"Did you know about this?" Astrid asked, looking at me accusingly. I only shook my head in response. Usually I was the last person to receive any kind of information.

"Alright, everyone," Hiccup began, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Here's the thing, the dragons are out of control. We want them to live in our world without destroying it. But they can't do that without our help. They've been blowing things up in the village. We've got to do something about it."

"Got it," Tuffnut said with a sly grin. "Help dragons blow things up. We can totally do that."

"No, I believe I said—"

"Here's how we're going to do it," Ruffnut said, cutting Hiccup off. "First, we make them really, really angry."

"No problem," said Tuffnut as he clenched his fist. "We make everyone angry."

"Guys, this is serious," I reminded them.

"Mildew wants our dragons caged. I don't know about you, but that's not okay with me," Hiccup added while rubbing Toothless' snout.

Oh, that would not go over well with Snowfire. She already had a mistrust for humans. Mildew would only make things worse if he wanted her in a cage.

' _Let that foul human try and cage me_ ,' she growled. The ferocity in her voice made me jump in surprise. ' _He will never live to see the light of day._ '

"You're right," said Tuffnut while point at his sister. "She's sorry."

"Okay, than, next problem. The dragons are eating everything in sight," Hiccup began as he grabbed a loaf of bread from the basket. Toothless licked his lips and eyed the bread with interest. "Now, when a dragon grabs something it's not supposed to have," he paused as Toothless grabbed the bread, "you can get them to drop it by scratching just below their chin." To demonstrate, he scratched just below Toothless' chin, and Toothless dropped the bread.

Snotlout just snorted and grabbed a loaf of bread before walking over to Hookfang. I've seen the two of them work together. Chaos usually followed when Snotlout tried to prove his point. Jacob had much better control over his Monstrous Nightmare than Snotlout. Then again, he wasn't so violent or angry.

"Yeah, that may work for you and Toothless," he began while Hookfang just rolled his eyes. "But Hookfang and me do things differently." He tossed the loaf of bread to Hookfang, who caught it with ease. "When I want this big boy to do something, I get right up in his face and yell, 'DROP THAT RIGHT NOW!" His shouting had startled Hookfang, who backed away with fear. Then his eyes narrowed with anger. "YOU HEARING ME?" he continued shouting.

Hookfang let out a growl and spit out the bread, than suddenly grabbed Snotlout in his mouth. I held back a fit of laughter when Hookfang started shaking his rider around like a dog toy. "See?" Snotlout asked, his voice muffled. "He dropped it."

"Should we help him?" asked Tuffnut.

"Yeah, in a minute," Jacob replied with a smirk.

"Alright, we've got a lot of training to do," Hiccup told us. "But together, we can keep the dragons under control."

' _No human will ever have control over me_ ,' Snowfire huffed out.

Hiccup only rolled his eyes at that, leading Toothless and the others away. Snotlout was still dangling from Hookfang's jaws while the dragon continued shaking him relentlessly.

"Uh, can someone do that chin scratch thingy?" he asked. "Hello? You guys still there?"

...

It was later in the afternoon when we reached the plaza. After spending most of the morning teaching everyone how to properly train their dragons, it was oddly peaceful. Astrid was the one who freed Snotlout from Hookfang's jaws after he'd started shouting again. I was still trying not to laugh at the sight when Snotlout was covered in dragon slobber.

"Does this stuff come off?" he'd asked with a groan.

"It's a good look," Jacob said with a grin. "You should keep it." Snotlout looked at him in surprise before grinning.

"Really?"

He had to keep on a straight face while everyone just grinned at Snotlout. His face fell when he realized that it was just a joke. Really, Snotlout made it way too easy sometimes.

Surprisingly the plaza remained oddly quiet. Nothing seemed damaged for the most part. No dragons were in sight either. I folded my arms and wondered what was going on. It wasn't usually this quiet.

' _Something is not right_ ,' Snowfire growled as if she'd read my thoughts. I only nodded in agreement. Something was definitely off.

"Huh, no dragons," Fishlegs said.

"Well that was easy," Tuffnut said with a shrug.

"Anyone up for lunch?" asked Snotlout.

"That's weird," Hiccup started. "If the dragons aren't here, where are they?"

That was when an explosion shook the entire village. My heart nearly skipped a beat when the ground trembled, and villagers shouted in surprise seconds later.

"Something tells me, that way," Astrid replied. All of us ran over to the source of the explosion. To my surprise and horror, we'd reached the storage where they kept food for the winter. Dragons were crowding the area, grabbing whatever they could get their teeth on. "Stormfly?" Astrid asked in disbelief. Said Deadly Nadder looked at her rider with guilt in her eyes.

"Hookfang?" Snotlout asked when the Monstrous Nightmare looked at him.

' _I told you something was not right_ ,' Snowfire sniffed.

The storage house was completely destroyed, and empty. I couldn't help but grimace at the sight. This was exactly what we'd been trying to avoid. And something told me that the dragons weren't responsible for it.

"They've eaten everything!" Stoick exclaimed as he joined us. He threw one of the columns on the ground before looking at the dragons accusingly. "We've got nothing left for the freeze!"

"You mean it's only going to get colder?" Jessica's eyes widened with horror when she approached the group. I just rolled my eyes at her reaction; she's clearly not spent enough time outside the previous year.

"I tried to warn you Stoick, but did you listen to me?" Mildew sneered as he walked through the crowd. I had to keep myself from glaring at him. There was one word to describe that man, and I couldn't say it out loud. "No, but you put a bunch of teenagers in charge, and that outsider." He threw his staff in my direction.

"She has just as much of a right here as we do," Jacob grumbled under his breath. Snowfire had let out a warning growl at Mildew, causing the old man to jump in alarm.

"And look at what the dragons have done! Caging is too good for those beasts!" he ranted on, shooting a triumphant smirk in our direction.

I'd only just realized that the air around us was getting much colder. Snowfire's eyes were narrowed with hatred at Mildew. The old man didn't seem to notice though, but the others had. I put one hand on her shoulder to keep her from losing her temper, and I wasn't sure if that would be enough.

' _I would watch your tongue, old man_ ,' she snapped.

Mildew's eyes widened with horror when he realized that he could hear her. Snowfire's voice may be gentle to me, but she only snapped at those who disregarded dragons. I'm surprised she'd let him hear her at all, considering how much she hated him.

"Dad, I swear I can fix this—" Hiccup had started, but Stoick cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Enough, Hiccup," his father snapped. "How can I trust you to control the dragons, when you can't even control your own?"

He gestured towards the other dragons, and I nearly face-palmed when I saw Toothless. The Night Fury was busy enjoying his own meal of fish. He only crooned in embarrassment when he realized that they'd caught him.

"Oh, Toothless," Hiccup sighed after realizing what his dragon was up to.

Stoick pushed him aside and walked into what was left of the storage house. "Bucket, Mulch, man the boats; we'll need another catch," he ordered while tossing aside empty baskets. Snowfire suddenly swallowed a half-eaten fish that was tossed aside.

"It's too late, Stoick," Mulch complained, his voice wary in front of the Chief. "It took us six months to catch all that fish."

"Do not tell me that it's too late," Stoick snapped. "We've got to try!"

"Of course we do," Mulch replied with a firm nod. "We don't tell the Chief it's too late," he added to Bucket with a shake of his head. "Why do you always have to be so negative?"

"I don't know what is with me," Bucket replied.

"Dad, please just listen to me," Hiccup insisted as the two went off to the dock. "I know the dragons better than—" Stoick stopped him before he could say anything else.

"Not now, Hiccup," Stoick said after throwing some empty baskets over his shoulder. "I have a village to feed." He walked out of the storage house remains and placed a few baskets in a wheelbarrow. "The dragons caused enough damage. By tonight, I want every one of them caged. Understand?"

Snowfire let out another warning growl, causing the other Vikings to scatter. By now most of them had learned to steer clear of her when she was angry. Anger suddenly replaced my fear from earlier. Stoick couldn't be serious in wanting to cage every dragon? They were meant to be free!

' _No human shall cage me_ ,' she snapped in a defiant tone. Stoick's eyes widened in disbelief before he glared at me.

"While I agree with what she says, I have no control over her," I muttered with a shrug. Nor do I have control over my anger if I let it get the better of me. Stoick may be the Chief, but there was a point where he needed to step up and think about the other inhabitants of this island.

"You can't just cage those dragons," Mildew argued once again. "You need to send them away, along with that bad omen." Once again his staff swung over at me, and my eyes narrowed with hate. I wasn't surprised that the other Vikings were murmuring in agreement.

"You're right, Mildew," Stoick said. His response earned a glare from Hiccup, than he quickly corrected himself, "about the dragons. We'll cage them in the morning. And in the morning, Hiccup will send them off the island. I'm sorry, son."

Snowfire rubbed her snout against my arm. I think I just felt my heart drop. Was it possible that Stoick actually agreed with Mildew about me? His attitude was just another reason why I didn't trust older men. It was another reminder of my father.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I held her muzzle in my hands.

' _It is not your fault, little one_ ,' she reassured me. ' _Some humans cannot be changed_.'

"There has to be something we can do," Hiccup muttered.

By now the other teens had returned to the arena once the crowd parted. I couldn't imagine my life without Snowfire now. She was more than just my best friend. We had our arguments every now and than, but she meant well.

' _We were only doing what comes naturally_ ,' she insisted.

That was when an idea suddenly occurred to me. She did have a good point about the dragons. They did what came naturally, and something like that could be used to our advantage. I think the humans here just needed to learn how to work with them.

Hiccup looked at me in surprise when I shared this idea with him. It wasn't much of a plan, but at least it would get us somewhere. And it was certainly better than what we had been doing. Hopefully the others would take to the idea, especially since it meant their dragons wouldn't need to be caged.

"That might just work," Hiccup realized out loud.

"What do you think Stoick will say about it?" I asked warily while Snowfire started preening. Of all the dragons I'd seen here, Snowfire loved preening the most. Because of her white scales, dirt showed more often, and she was obsessed with keeping them clean.

"If we're lucky, he won't have a say in it," Hiccup replied.

We'd arrived at the arena just after they closed the doors to the cages. I narrowed my eyes when I saw that Astrid was spending the last few seconds she had with Stormfly. She'd really changed over the last few months, and had become good friends with Stormfly.

"I'm sorry, Stormfly," she murmured after giving her dragon a hug. "Now, go!" She pointed towards the cage, and the Deadly Nadder reluctantly followed her order.

"It feels like big sharp teeth are ripping this thing through my chest," Snotlout complained.

"That's what it feels like when you're heart's breaking," Jacob replied in a grim voice.

"I don't have a heart! I'm not a girl," he protested. To which Astrid slapped him across the chest. Honestly, I wonder if Snotlout listens to have the things he says. Sometimes words just randomly flew out of his mouth, making him seem almost as crazy as Bucket.

"Don't close it!" Hiccup shouted as the last cage door closed. "We're not locking them up." Snowfire trotted over to my side and crooned in contentment as the others stared at us in surprise.

"What happened?" Astrid asked. I didn't miss the hope in her eyes when she looked at Hiccup. "Did you change your father's mind? Or are we going behind his back again?" Her smile changed to a look of suspicion as she looked at us.

"Uh, one of those," I replied sheepishly. Hiccup glanced at me in amusement before going over the plan.

"Look, the dragons are going to do what they are going to do," he explained. "It's their nature." He looked at me once again before I gave an encouraging nod.

"We just need to learn how to use that to our advantage," I finished for him.

...

"Alright, does everyone have the plan?" Hiccup asked.

"Question, I thought we were going to destroy the village?" Ruffnut asked in an accusing tone.

"Yeah, I like that plan better," Tuffnut added. Barf and Belch made a sound of agreement before they started arguing with each other again.

"Just go already," I grumbled. The twins looked at us both before taking off. "You okay with this idea?" I added to Jacob. He just grinned and nodded.

"I'm glad to be of service," He replied with a thumbs up. I couldn't help but smirk as he flew off with Snotlout and Hookfang. Snowfire took off and followed in pursuit as the pair of riders had reached the ship where Mulch and Bucket were.

"It's empty again," I heard Mulch complain.

"Did I eat it already?" asked Bucket. "Did I enjoy it? Am I being too negative again?"

"Snotlout, Jacob, scare us up some fish," I instructed once we were close enough.

There was always fish around. It was just a matter of finding them in the right place. Hookfang and Sniper had enough strength to glide under the water and scare them up. Fortunately both riders were eager to prove their worth. Fish were flying onto the ship seconds later when Sniper had found a school of them. Hookfang and Sniper resurfaced once there was enough fish caught.

"Hey, thanks dragons!" Mulch shouted with a wave of gratitude.

"That's right, that just happened!" Snotlout cried after high-fiving Jacob.

I held back a smirk as Snowfire flew back towards the village. I watched on from the distance as Hiccup and the others helped out with Mildew's field. Apparently the Gronckles had been eating all of his crop. This was a good way to make up for it by using the dragons to fertilize the field.

"Our turn now," I announced as Snowfire flew towards the forest.

' _This should be fun_ ,' Snowfire hummed with excitement.

Hogs were scouting the forest floor in search of anything edible. Soon the twins had found them and managed to scare them out into the open. Snowfire fired a blast of smoke, causing them to turn and run towards the village where Stormfly was waiting. We'd already gone over this part of the plan; her quills were perfect for keeping them from getting away. Stormfly and Snowfire worked together in herding them into the newly built storage house.

"Now that's what I call teamwork," Astrid said with a grin.

"How'd Mildew like his gift?" I asked, glancing at the farm.

"He wasn't too fond with it," Hiccup replied as Toothless flew down to join us.

I tried not to smirk at that. I could already picture the disgust on Mildew's face when he saw what we were doing. Knowing Mildew he would be upset that the dragons were actually helping him. In theory, they'd just saved him about a month's worth of work.

"That was awesome!" Fishlegs exclaimed once the door slammed shut where the hogs had been guided.

"How did you know that was going to work?" Astrid asked once everyone had regrouped.

"Because they're dragons, and dragons are going to do, what they are going to do," I replied with a shrug.

"We just need to work with them and not against them," Hiccup added. "Snowfire's actually the one who gave us that advice." She made a deep rumbling sound in her chest that reminded me of a purr.

"There they are." Mildew's voice suddenly cut through the happy moment. We all turned in time to see Stoick approaching us, with Mildew right beside him. "Those dragons don't look like they're in cages to me."

' _Oh, please let me rip his throat out_ ,' Snowfire snarled.

"There will be no throat ripping," I scolded her, though I really wish she could get away with it. Snowfire only huffed in annoyance and looked away.

"No, this is not what I asked for," Stoick replied before looking at Hiccup.

Oh, we were in deep trouble now. Stoick's expression was impossible to read as he led everyone to the arena. He had the entire village gathered, and the dragons penned. Of course he could never put Snowfire in a cage. She'd nearly ripped his hand off when he tried pushing her in. Instead she stood beside me, acting as a protective barrier against the scornful looks everyone gave us.

"Oh no, what's Stoick going to do with us?" Fishlegs began fretting as we waited for the punishment that would follow.

"I'm too pretty for jail," Ruffnut complained. I tried not to fidget with my hair when I realized where this was going.

Hiccup had managed to keep his father from throwing me into prison during our first encounter. But Mildew had stirred up the entire village by claiming I was some kind of 'demon girl'. I'm not even sure what he meant by that, or where it had come from.

"Where'd you get that from?" asked Tuffnut with a cheeky grin.

"You all disobeyed my orders," Stoick began as the crowd fell into hushed silence. He turned and glared at all of us. "And there will be consequences."

"I told you," Astrid whispered to Hiccup. She let out a frustrated sigh, and he glared at her. "You never listen to me!"

"For the record, this was all her idea," Snotlout said, pointing a finger at me. I was ready to punch him in the gut when Stoick stopped us.

"Dad, if anyone's going to get in trouble, it should be me," Hiccup said after taking a step forward.

"No, you all had a hand in this," Stoick insisted. "You took over this place without asking. You release the dragons against my wishes." Stoick kept his firm gaze on us before continuing, making me feel even guiltier, "Things are going to change around here. That's why—"

"You're getting a dragon training academy!" Gobber exclaimed. Everyone gasped in shock, including the people in the stands.

"Gobber!" Stoick said in an accusing tone. "I wanted to tell them."

"I'm sorry," Gobber said with a sheepish grin. By now everyone was trying to gather what Gobber had just told them. "Go on."

"Well, you told them most of it!" Stoick grumbled.

"You can tell them about how proud you are," Gobber suggested.

"Gobber!" Stoick sighed in frustration as Gobber fiddled with his hook for a hand sheepishly. "Hiccup, well, what he said. You've all made me proud." He walked over to the gates where the dragons were being held. "This academy is for you."

Almost at once everyone rushed over to give their respected dragon a hug. Even Jacob, who at one point was afraid of them, was happy to see Sniper again. The dragons were free to do as they pleased, so long as it was within limits. They weren't meant to be caged.

' _No human shall ever cage me_ ,' Snowfire said. I only nodded in agreement, knowing exactly what she meant by that.

"Now, all you have to do is train them," Stoick said after giving his son a pat on the shoulder.

"Not a problem, dad," Hiccup reassured him as Toothless stood by his side. "After all, I've got him." I made a tiny coughing noise, and Hiccup just grinned at me sheepishly. "And them."

...

Snowfire had made my life a hundred times better. I couldn't imagine my life without her now. And now, I wouldn't have to worry what the others thought of her. She was my partner, and my sister. We'd learned to work with each other rather than against each other.

We found ourselves fixing the new sign for the arena the following day. Hookfang and Meatlug were helping their riders put the sign up. The sign itself was beautifully carved with a Night Fury on it. The only difference was that this Night Fury had an arrow-shaped tail, like Snowfire's. I smirked when I noticed the tail-fin had red marks on it, just like Toothless'.

"The Berk Dragon Academy," I said with a smirk as Hiccup stood next to me. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

 **AN: Woot, first episode is done :D And as you can see, a lot has been added and put together into one chapter :)**

 **The Silent Fury - No problem, I couldn't resist ;)**

 **Sophia Kaiba - XD**

 **Drunken Hamster - Thanks, I think ^^**

 **Sil - lol, I can imagine future fights happening between them.**

 **DarkDust27 - lol You're not the only one. Don't worry, I've got big plans for everyone, especially the two main characters :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - He may or may not have a crush on her. You'll have to wait to find out ;) And you are, it just won't be happening until the end of the second series.**


	14. Viking For Hire

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

" _Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes, But my heart is beating and my pulses start Cathedrals in my heart, As we saw oh this light I swear you'll, Emerge blinking into to tell me it's alright, As we soar walls, every siren is a symphony And every tear's a waterfall, Is a waterfall..._ " - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, Coldplay

* * *

It had taken me almost a year to find my place in this village. I was still getting used to the way things worked here. Snowfire and Hiccup had helped me understand what life was like in Berk. Having friends from my world had also helped. Well, at least one friend. Jacob would always be the kind of person I could rely on when I needed someone to talk to. Jessica on the other hand... she could suck it for all I cared.

Some people are born into knowing what they will do with their lives. For others, they had to learn their paths. Snowfire had to show me what my destiny was. Now I understood that dragons were what my future held. And now I was helping Hiccup teach the others how to live and prosper with them. But unfortunately for some people on Berk, the peace with dragons took away their jobs.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It was late in the afternoon when we found ourselves at the Dragon Academy. We were testing our knowledge of dragons by holding a contest. Apparently whoever lost had the honor of cleaning out Mildew's place. At least that was what Snotlout had said.

"Okay, each dragon has it's own special place in the world," Hiccup began as he looked through the Book of Dragons. Astrid and Fishlegs were paired with Jacob, while Snotlout had the twins. I stood next to Hiccup, watching each of them curiously. Jacob only knew a small amount about dragons, and that was from what Fishlegs taught him. So far Snotlout's team had ten points, while Astrid's had ninety eight. And Snotlout had started out with ten! "Which dragon makes the hottest welding torch?"

"Oh!" Astrid exclaimed, raising her hand immediately. "The Deadly Nadder!"

"It's known to be the dragon with the hottest fire in the world," I put in. I tried not to smirk at Snowfire's reaction when I said that. Of all the dragons here on Berk, she had the most pride. And she loved proving that she was the best at everything.

"That's because it's magnesium flame burns with the heat of the sun," Fishlegs added. Again I held back a grin. Science and dragons combined, this was something I'd never imagine from this world. Then again science had always existed, it was just explained differently.

"That's correct," Hiccup replied while reading through the book. "Point to team Astrid. The score is now one hundred to ten." Astrid only smirked triumphantly at Snotlout.

"And you only started out with ten," she put in while Fishlegs just grinned at them sheepishly.

"Next question. What is the shot limit of the Zippleback?" I asked while reading over Hiccup's shoulder. After reading through the book a few times, my knowledge of dragons was still vaguely limited. I'd rather learn from experience. "Team Snotlout?"

"I don't think they can count that high," Jacob whispered while leaning towards Fishlegs. Astrid and Fishlegs snickered in agreement while Ruffnut and Tuffnut glared at them.

"Oh, really? Let's find out," Ruffnut exclaimed. "Barf, Belch?" She looked at the Zippleback in question as Barf and Belch straightened up. They'd been staying with the other dragons while everyone went over the questions.

Barf and Belch suddenly fired six blasts of sparks and gas in Team Astrid's direction. Jacob's reaction to their sudden volley of attacks was priceless. Luckily all three of them had ducked just in time. The fire hit the wall behind them, leaving a trail of smoke in it's wake.

"Looks like about three," Tuffnut said with a chuckle while counting on his fingers.

"See?" Ruffnut chimed in. "Told you we could count that high."

"Actually it's six, you're half correct," Hiccup corrected them. "Five points." I marked the board beside us with five marks. Compared to Astrid's team, their score was just pitiful.

"Yes, we're up to thirty!" Ruffnut exclaimed while high-fiving Snotlout and her brother. Astrid suddenly stood up and glared at them.

"Alright, it's our turn," she snapped. "What happens when you shoot fire at the owner of a Deadly Nadder?" she asked before whistling loudly. Stormfly immediately responded by standing up and twirling around, firing spikes from her tail at Snotlout's team. They were pinned to the wall in seconds.

"No fair!" Tuffnut complained. "She didn't give us time to answer!"

"I've got a question for you," Snotlout began as he rounded on Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare had been resting peacefully when Snotlout approached him. "What happens if I sick Hookfang on you?" he asked.

"Okay, guys, that's enough training," Hiccup suddenly cut in. "So, we did some really good work today."

"Yeah... I don't think they're in any hurry to finish," I murmured under my breath.

Snotlout ignored him and walked over to Hookfang, who was still fast asleep. He sat on top of Hookfang and grinned. "Prepare to face the Monstrous Nightmare!" he shouted while kicking at Hookfang's sides. Unfortunately for Snotlout, Hookfang woke up and engulfed himself with fire. Apparently Monstrous Nightmares had a nasty habit of setting themselves on fire, and this was one of those moments. "Ah! That's the third time this week!" he shouted when his pants suddenly caught on fire. He started running around until Snowfire fired her ice at him. Snotlout sighed in relief when the fire was put out seconds later. "Ah sweet relief!"

' _Fighting will get you nowhere, hatchlings_ ,' Snowfire chided them.

"Hey, why does she keep calling us hatchlings?" asked Fishlegs.

' _Because you act like hatchlings_ ,' she replied. Fishlegs' eyes widened when he realized that she was speaking to her.

"Hookfang never flames up when you ride him," Hiccup said, ignoring what Fishlegs and I had just said. "Is he okay?"

"Maybe he just realized who his rider was," Jacob suggested with a smug look.

"You know, there's room in here for two," Snotlout said after jumping into a barrel filled with water.

Astrid and I just rolled our eyes before dunking him into the barrel. Some things never changed.

...

"I'm just sayin', something's wrong with Hookfang," I muttered as we reached the plaza. "I've never seen him act that way, even around Snotlout, obnoxious as he can be." By now my voice had dropped to a whisper, but Hiccup heard me loud and clear.

"There's nothing in the Book of Dragons that describes what's going on with him," he said with a shrug. "Hopefully everything will be back normal by tomorrow."

We'd reached the village plaza when Gobber had a large crowd gathered around him and a wheelbarrow filled with weapons. Jacob had gone off to check on Jessica, since she refused to be anywhere near the dragons. I guess that little phobia of hers had never really left.

"You may think these dragon-killing weapons have no more use," Gobber began. "But think again!"

' _This should be good_ ,' Snowfire hummed as he pulled out a long sword.

"For instance, this long sword can be used as a butter knife!" To demonstrate, he pulled out a plate with bread and tried spreading the butter across it. The plate was now damaged seconds later. "Also great at making breadcrumbs," he added sheepishly. He tried smiling, but the plate cracked into pieces right in front of him. He looked back at the crowd as they just stood there and stared at him. "Moving on."

"Oh this is a dark day." Mildew's voice nearly made me fall over in surprise. I hadn't even noticed the old man walking up to us, but fortunately Snowfire had caught me. "A great dragon slayer, peddling his weapons as kitchen utensils."

"Since when do you know what utensils are used for?" I asked under my breath. Mildew scowled at me before Snowfire's growl scared him off.

"Up next," Gobber said while pulling out a mace, "how about this uh..." He trailed off and looked around in confusion. He caught sight of a horsefly landing on his table, and his face brightened. "This handy fly swatter!" He threw the mace down on to the table, causing it to split apart into splinters. "Uh, also good at getting rid of unwanted furniture," he added as the fly flew away. Snowfire killed it with ease by swatting her tail at it.

' _This human is amusing_ ,' she said while crooning with laughter.

"Now for the lady of the house," Gobber put in as he walked over to huge, portable catapult. Honestly, why did Vikings even have these things? I keep forgetting that their weapons aren't nearly as advanced compared to the ones from my world. "When the hubby's off pillaging, how are you going to protect yourself from home invaders? No problem when you have big ol' Bertha!"

He patted the catapult affectionately, but unfortunately for him the catapult suddenly launched. I tried not to laugh as the catapult fired a large boulder onto a house in the distance. That could have just as easily been my place.

By now the crowd had started to part. Gobber looked at them desperately and tried to call them back. "Wait! There's more!" he cried. "You haven't seen everything! I haven't cleared out me dungeon yet!" His face fell when no one listened. "It's okay, Bertha." He patted the catapult one more time. "We'll find a place for you."

I had to admit, I did feel sorry for poor Gobber. He had been a good friend when Hiccup was unconscious. Of all the people on Berk he had spoken to me the most during my first week on the island, sharing stories of how he and Stoick had met and become good friends.

"Oh, it's hard to watch isn't it?" Mildew said with a tsk of his tongue. "Especially for you, eh Hiccup? The feeling of guilt must be tearing at your insides. I mean, you put him out of business with your little peace treaty with the dragons. You and that girl ruined the man's life."

Snowfire let out another low snarl, causing Mildew to flee. He should know by now that she wouldn't hesitate to bite his head off. And right now it was really tempting to let her.

' _I would not mind if he mysteriously disappeared one day_ ,' she huffed.

I nodded in agreement once he was gone. Now that would make for an awesome day. But I never wished death on anyone, and I never will. Something mom had taught me years ago was to have morals. And unfortunately this was one of those times her lessons kicked in.

...

"I never realized just how lucky I am," I murmured thoughtfully. Jacob sat nearby with Jessica pacing as far away from Snowfire as possible. She'd decided to join us, much to my surprise. Apparently Jacob had finally convinced her to leave their house for a little.

"How is that so?" Jacob asked curiously. Snowfire was busy treating herself to a mouthful of fish. I couldn't help but grin at the sight as I leaned against her.

I glanced out of the window and looked at the starlit sky thoughtfully. Back home we'd never been able to see the constellations like this. The city lights would always keep it from seeing the Milky Way or other important stars.

"Here I've actually found my place," I explained with a shrug. "I think I've finally realized that it's my job to keep track of the dragons, and make sure they don't get into any trouble."

"You? Have a place here?" Jessica asked in disbelief. "Pa-lease. I've seen the way you act around everyone, and it's totally obvious they don't like you." Snowfire suddenly let out a warning growl, causing Jessica to jump in surprise and fear.

' _I would watch your tongue, hatchling_ ,' she snapped. ' _Only my voice is gentle_.'

I tried not to laugh at her expression when Jessica stared at Snowfire. Those two were constantly at each others' throats. It was fun to watch at times, but annoying at the same time.

"I feel bad for Gobber," I admitted while looking down at the floor board. "His life revolved around making weapons that were used for killing dragons. And now all of a sudden his world is changed because we made peace with them."

' _Do you care for this man because that other hatchling does_?' she asked. My eyes widened in disbelief before I tried shaking off the sudden uneasiness.

"Of course not," I retorted before realizing that neither Jacob or Jessica had heard her question. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"You're lucky you can communicate with her," Jacob replied with a shrug. "I'd give anything to have a conversation with Sniper. So long as it's within reason."

"Why would you want to talk with them?" Jessica asked with wide eyes. "All they ever do is roar or growl at each other."

Again Snowfire only rolled her eyes at that comment. Snowfire rubbed her snout against my arm as she made another remark, ' _Your response tells me otherwise_.' She hummed in amusement when I stiffened at that.

"Hopefully we can help Gobber find a new job," I murmured quietly. "One that doesn't require hurting a dragon." Snowfire only looked at me in amusement as I tried changing the subject once again.

' _Keeping those feelings locked up inside will not help_ ,' she warned me as she heated her bed. ' _One day you may regret not sharing your feelings_.' Why did that sound like something that came directly from a movie? I shook my head at the thought and tried to think of something else.

Hopefully getting some sleep would wash away the uneasiness that settled over me. Snowfire had a way of making everyone feel uncomfortable, even me.

...

"You're bringing Gobber here?" Fishlegs' voice was full of doubt as we gathered in the arena.

Apparently Gobber hadn't had much luck in finding a new job. Hiccup had said that his dad tried giving Gobber the duties of a chief. First off Gobber had named a baby girl Magnus (which was apparently a fitting name, but the parents weren't too fond of it), and given her a mace to play with. Then he tried stopping an argument between Mulch and Bucket by giving them weapons. Finally he tried patching up a ship with iron.

In all Gobber had only made Stoick's job even more difficult. I was even more surprised when Hiccup said that his dad had two ice blocks to cure a headache. Things had obviously gone very wrong for the poor chief.

Unfortunately for us, Stoick had left Gobber in the care of Hiccup. So now we were forced to find a job that would suit him in the end.

"He's going to be great," Hiccup reassured Fishlegs. "Nobody knows dragons better than old Gobber. He has spent a lifetime of, you know… studying them." The others looked around warily, knowing full well that Hiccup was just trying to find the right words to describe Gobber's days of killing dragons. "If we can tap into that, we'll all be better dragon trainers."

' _I like where this is going already_ ,' Snowfire said.

Suddenly the gate burst open, and Gobber walked in while wheeling his rack of weapons. "I'm back!" he announced as the dragons around us started panicking. "Did ya miss me?"

I tried not to laugh as the dragons tried getting away. Snowfire was the only one who stayed by my side. She just eyed Gobber coolly before snorting in annoyance. Gobber grinned back before Hiccup stopped him from getting any further.

"Um, did I miss something?" Jacob asked under his breath as Sniper struggled to get away.

"Gobber used to teach them how to kill the dragons," I whispered back. Jacob's eyes widened in understanding when he realized what that meant.

"Right, but he doesn't do that anymore," Hiccup reassured everyone. "First, welcome back," he said to Gobber.

"What happened to Gobber not bringing any weapons?" I asked in a whisper. Hiccup just gave me a look before shaking his head.

"Just go along with it," he muttered.

Gobber tried pulling out a large weapon shortly after. It looked like something that would be used in a cartoon comedy, like the Loony Tunes. Gobber grinned as the dragons started hissing in response at the weapon he'd pulled.

"I thought we could train them by threatening to kill 'em," he explained. "That's how my daddy taught me how to swim!" The dragons started fleeing towards the exit when Gobber threw down the weapon. "School's in session," he announced. It didn't take the dragons long to fly out of the arena. Toothless and Snowfire were the only ones who stayed behind, looking on in what I thought was longing. "Eh, I never liked school either."

"Thank God school wasn't like this in our world," I muttered under my breath. Jacob only grinned before nodding in agreement.

' _You would be dead_ ,' Snowfire reminded me.

"Wonder how long it'll take them to catch their dragons?" I asked once the others had gone after their dragons. Toothless was busy cleaning his wing while Snowfire sunned herself in the sparse sunlight. All the while I was helping Hiccup clean up the mess Gobber had created.

"I'd give it an hour or two," Hiccup replied while pushing away some smoke caused by Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare had flamed up before taking off with the other dragons, leaving behind a trail of smoke where he went.

' _I do not see why the happiness of one human is so important_ ,' Snowfire muttered.

"Maybe because Gobber has been there for me when I needed help," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes. Snowfire only let out a huff of smoke in annoyance.

"Not to mention he also helped design that leg of yours," I added with a grin.

Gobber had done a lot of helpful things in the past. It was just hard to point them out at the moment.

...

The others didn't get back until hours later. Hiccup and I had spent that time discussing what to do about our problem with Gobber. All that mattered right now was making sure that Gobber actually had a future on the island. And so far we hadn't come up with anything, other than a few sparse ideas that would likely fail in the end.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Hiccup asked when he noticed that Astrid and the others were hunched over in pain.

"We've been riding our dragons for hours," Astrid complained while rubbing her butt. "It took us hours to chase them down after Gobber scared them away." She glared at Stormfly, who made a rolling motion with her wings as if annoyed with Astrid's glare.

"And believe me when I say it wasn't easy," Jacob put in, sounding exhausted.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Hiccup apologized. "I just don't know what to do with him. We've been trying to come up with ideas." He then turned to Ruffnut, who was much to my amusement kicking her brother's butt. "Do you guys always have to fight?" he asked after crossing his arms.

"It's okay, I asked her to do that," Tuffnut replied. Ruffnut kicked him again as he groaned in pain. "I was trying to get the feeling back."

"You going to return the favor?" Ruffnut demanded as she leaned forward. Tuffnut stood up and started kicking her butt afterwords.

"I've flown for hours on Toothless. I've never had this problem," Hiccup said with a shrug.

"That's because you and Alex have saddles," Astrid pointed out.

She looked pointedly at Snowfire's saddle. Truth be told it had taken a lot of convincing for me to put that saddle on. She wouldn't imagine the fuss Snowfire had put up when I told her about it. But in the end I won the argument.

"Wait a minute, saddles!" Hiccup perked up almost instantly after shouting that.

"What, are we playing the random word game?" I asked with a grin. Hiccup just rolled his eyes once again.

"Come on, I know this will work," he said before grabbing my arm. I didn't miss the way Jacob and Astrid stared at us. Astrid's jealousy didn't surprise me, but I was more surprised by the look Jacob had given me.

Snowfire was quick to follow along with Toothless close behind her. It was already late in the afternoon when we reached the forge. I hadn't noticed that Gobber had most of his weapons stacked outside the forge, as if he was hoping that just about anyone would take them.

"Wait out here," I told Snowfire when we went inside.

' _Hopefully this plan will actually work_ ,' she grumbled.

"It will," Hiccup reassured us both. "It has to."

"Saddles?" Gobber repeated when Hiccup relayed his ideas. "I love it!" He eyed the blueprints that Hiccup had gathered before heading for the forge. "I've got tons of ideas," he added after grinning like a kid in the candy shop. "But not these. Good ones." He tossed the blueprints aside and knocked his hook for a hand on his forehead.

"We're glad you're excited," I said as Hiccup picked up the sketches.

"But I think there are some designs here that you could use," Hiccup put in.

"Ya know, it's cute how you two finish each others sentences," Gobber suddenly said with a grin. Both Hiccup and I turned away from each other once he said that. I didn't miss the fact that Hiccup had blushed as well. "I'll do what Gobber does best. I've been making saddles since before you two were in diapers. In fact, I made your diapers."

I desperately wanted to point out that he had never made diapers for me. But I kept my mouth shut, knowing full well the looks that would get me.

"I know, you know what you're doing, but keep in mind, every dragon is different," Hiccup warned him. "So you need to adjust—"

"Hiccup, I may have taught you everything I know," Gobber said while poking Hiccup in the stomach, "But I haven't taught you everything I know."

The two of us headed out of the forge, and it wasn't long before Gobber started working on the saddles. That was when Gobber started singing a tune I'd never heard of.

" _I've got me axe and I've got me mace,_

 _And I love me wife with an ugly face,_

 _I'm a Viking through and through_!"

"You know, he doesn't usually sing that song unless he's very happy," Hiccup said. "I think we did a good thing."

"Let's hope this doesn't backfire on you," I murmured.

"So uh, what Gobber said back at the forge…." Hiccup paused as Toothless crooned in confusion. I couldn't help but look away as embarrassment washed over me.

"Yeah, what about that?" I suddenly wished that a hole would open up and swallow me. There were some things I never wanted to talk about, and this was one of them.

"Uh, never mind." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head when he realized where this was going. "I should probably get back and let dad know about this," he added. I quickly nodded in agreement, holding back a sigh of relief once he and Toothless had wandered off.

' _You really should tell that hatchling how you feel_ ,' Snowfire's voice suddenly cut in. I rolled my eyes and rubbed her muzzle, careful not to draw any unwanted attention.

"Snow, you have no idea how difficult this is," I murmured. "I promised myself I wouldn't get in the way. And maybe it's time I keep that promise." Snowfire nudged my hand in annoyance when she saw where this was going.

' _Leaving now would only make things worse_ ,' she warned me.

I looked at her warily when she said that. Somehow I knew that she was right. Yet I couldn't help but wonder whether or not staying was a good idea.

"Alright, I'll stay, but only for a few more days." I let out a sigh and tried to hide the emotions bubbling up within me. This was not going to be easy.

...

It was early the next day when we found ourselves back at the arena. Snowfire was curled up in the sunlight trying to keep herself warm, despite the fact that she could regulate the temperature around her. She apparently liked keeping things natural when she could.

"Okay, this is an exciting day for all of us," Hiccup began as the other teens looked at him in confusion. Their dragons stayed in the background, keeping a distance from Snowfire and Toothless. For some reason Snowfire had only gotten along with Toothless of all the dragons on Berk, other than Spikes. "Gobber has been working hard to—"

"I think they might wanna hear it from the artist himself!" Gobber suddenly spoke up. "I've made a lot of saddles in my day. Horse, donkey, and now, dragons. But these saddles are different. They're like my children; that is if you strap a child to a flaming reptile, which is something I would never do!"

' _Interesting choice of words, human_ ,' Snowfire said. Gobber just smirked at her before looking back at us.

"So, without further ado..." Gobber paused so that he could pull off the blanket covering whatever was hidden underneath. Several saddles were revealed, each of them unique and… interesting looking. Hiccup scratched the back of his head as he eyed them curiously.

"Wow, Gobber, this is certainly… not what I was expecting," he replied.

"How could it be? I'm Gobber!" Gobber exclaimed before tapping his forehead. "No one knows what's going on in here."

Jacob snickered behind me, and I smacked him lightly across the chest before smiling back at Gobber and Hiccup. It's probably a good thing none of knew what went on that head of his. Gobber always seemed to have a way with words.

"Um, is that..." I paused when I eyed the device on one of the saddles. I'd only seen them once or twice in person, and believe me when I say they are not fun to mess with. Unless you're in a field where no one is watching.

"A flamethrower!" Gobber finished for me. He showed off what the flamethrower could do before shutting it off. "Didn't see that coming now did ya?"

"Um, not for dragons," Hiccup told him. "They come with one built in actually."

' _And they work just fine_ ,' Snowfire added with a huff of smoke. Gobber coughed and tried shaking the smoke out of his way. Snowfire only narrowed her eyes in annoyance before returning to her spot.

"I know, but you can never have too much fire power," Gobber insisted.

"Yeah, this isn't going to end well," Jacob whispered.

I only folded my arms and watched as the twins put saddles on Barf and Belch's two necks. Then they loaded the catapults on the saddles before firing them. I tried not to laugh when the catapults ended up hitting Barf and Belch's heads, knocking them out in an instant.

"Catapults for the twins, not a good idea," I said with a shake of my head.

"You can do it girl. Think light," Fishlegs tried helping Meatlug out, but the saddle was too heavy for her. It was a miracle she could fly at all. But her saddle had heavy maces on it, strapped on either side. Meatlug was only able to get up a foot in the air before dropping to the ground due to the extra weight.

"Oh come on!" Gobber exclaimed once more. "You can't tell me the saddle is heavier than Fishlegs." I couldn't help but smirk at that.

"My mom says I'm just husky," Fishlegs replied with a frown.

Snotlout was trying to put a saddle on Hookfang. But the Monstrous Nightmare just shook it off and roared in defiance.

"Oh come on Hookfang, what is wrong with you?" he demanded. He tried petting Hookfang, but the dragon only turned away, growling in annoyance. "Okay, that's it. Someone's trading with me!" Snotlout looked at Snowfire hopefully, who just responded with a hiss.

' _Try it, and you will lose your legs_ ,' she snapped. Snotlout's only response was a whimper as he backed away. Then he turned towards the twins, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Like I would trade my perfectly trained dragon, for your untamed one," Tuffnut retorted.

Astrid had landed Stormfly near Hiccup after testing out her new saddle. "This saddle is actually pretty good," she said, sounding impressed.

"Wait until you try the horn," Gobber told her.

She looked at him skeptically before trying out the horn. I tried to cover my ears as it got too loud. Even Stormfly didn't like it; she shot several spikes from her tail, which ended up pinning Snotlout to the wall.

"Really?" Snotlout demanded while trying to pry himself off. "Again?"

"So anyways, I think we're going to need a few—" Hiccup was cut off once again by Gobber.

"Changes! I'm way ahead of you," he started. "I've got so many new ideas. It's getting crowded up here."

By now I was struggling not to laugh. Hiccup had to elbow me in order to keep me from laughing out loud. Hopefully Gobber knew what he was getting himself into, otherwise this was not going to end well for him.

...

We spent most of the evening cleaning up the mess Gobber had made. Apparently Gobber didn't know very much about making saddles for dragons. The arena was left in shambles after he had gone to work on other saddles. Which left us with finishing his work.

Hiccup looked at Toothless, who was laying nearby on the ground. With a snap of his finger the Night Fury grumbled in annoyance and walked away, standing next to Snowfire once more. I was always amazed at how similar the two looked. Snowfire was just twice his size and had a scythe-like tail. And was pure white, aside from the gray mixed in to her wings.

"By Odin!" Stoick gasped as he entered the arena. "This place looked better when we were killing dragons!"

"Yeah, we sort of got 'Gobber-ed'," Hiccup explained.

"That's putting it lightly," I muttered under my breath.

"You know Gobber," Stoick began. "He means well, he just doesn't always do well." I continued sweeping, pushing past Snowfire as she got up to give me space. "So what are you going to do about him?"

"I'm going to clean up his mess and redo his work," Hiccup replied.

"Look, Gobber's like family—" Stoick started, but Hiccup cut him off.

"Yeah, I know he is," he began after dropping his broom. "That's why I can't say anything to him!"

' _Why do you not just tell him the truth_?' Snowfire asked. Hiccup was ready to reply when Stoick stopped him. She did have a good point there, though I would never say that out loud.

"No son, that's why you have to tell him," Stoick said. To my surprise his voice was gentle. I was so used to hearing him shout or sound aggravated. "It's not fair for you, and it's not fair for Gobber."

"Why do I have to say something to him?" Hiccup wined. "You didn't! You just passed him on to me!"

"That's what a chief does. He delegates. Look, I gave you this academy because it's the best thing for Berk. Now you have to do what's best for the academy, and I'm sorry, son, but what's best isn't always easy." Stoick placed a hand on his shoulder before leading us both away. I hadn't even noticed until now that Snotlout was still pinned to the wall by Stormfly's spikes, snoring away. "What's with him?" he asked.

"Leave him; he's going for his personal best," I replied with a smirk.

"Enough said."

It didn't take us long to reach the forge. Gobber was already working on his next line of saddles, happily humming away. I had promised Hiccup that I would stay with him when he told Gobber the bad news. But now I was starting to regret that decision.

I hated feeling guilty. Especially when I knew it was mostly my fault. Though right now it wasn't my fault for what Gobber had gotten himself into. I just wasn't sure why it left me feeling so guilty. Maybe because Hiccup and I had become good friends over the year. Either reason, I wasn't looking forward to this.

"Hey, you never know," Hiccup started before we got inside, "maybe Gobber finally looked at the plans and is making the saddles better." Even I could hear the false hope in his voice. There were some things that couldn't be changed. And I had a feeling Gobber was one of them. Gobber was busy working on a saddle when we walked inside. "Gobber?"

Gobber suddenly turned to face us, holding a crossbow pointed in our direction. "Don't shoot!" I cried while Hiccup held his hands up in self defense. Gobber only smirked in response.

"Oh I wouldn't shoot you two," he said with a shake of his head. "Unless I absolutely had to." That alone was enough to make me feel uneasy. Hiccup just sighed in frustration as Gobber turned back to his work desk.

"Yeah, could you please just put the crossbow down; I know we'd both feel better," Hiccup told him as I nodded in agreement. Gobber sighed and put the crossbow down.

"Ya know, about the weapons; maybe the catapults were a bit too much for the dragons yesterday," Gobber began while walking over to the table. "So I've gone a different way. I've gotten rid of the two big ones—" Hiccup stopped him before he could continue with his big plans.

"Gobber, that's great," he said with a smile.

"— and replace them with bigger ones!" Gobber suddenly cut in. He held up a smaller version of the catapult, with six spoon-like ends.

"Uh, yeah…." Hiccup paused and exchanged a sad look with me. I think it's best he get the news now before he makes things worse. "Gobber, we need to talk," he began after letting out a sigh. "I think it might be time for you to take a little break."

"In case you haven't noticed, the only time a Viking takes a break is to die," Gobber reminded him.

Ouch. I couldn't imagine what that must be like.

"I think what he means is, he isn't sure if things are working out," I said in a gentle tone. Hopefully that would help. Though judging by the look Gobber gave me, it didn't.

"Well, get back to me when you're sure than," Gobber said.

"Okay, I'm sure," Hiccup said before taking a deep breath. "Gobber, I'm going to need to take you off of the saddle project."

Gobber stopped his work and looked at Hiccup in disbelief. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked. "Now I can see why you had me put down the crossbow."

"It's just the saddles," I reminded him. "I'm sure we could find something else for you."

I glanced at Hiccup doubtfully. He just shrugged in response, still not sure what to do.

"I don't need your pity," Gobber told us. "I've already lost an arm and a leg. I think Ill survive losing a job."

"I'm really sorry, Gobber." Hiccup placed a hand on Gobber's shoulder before we both left. Now I felt even worse than before when Gobber started tearing up. He tried hiding his sadness by looking away. "That was awful," Hiccup added as we walked away from the forge.

' _He will recover_ ,' Snowfire reassured him. I patted her on the shoulder as she took off towards my house.

"Look, I'm sure we'll find something for Gobber to do," I murmured thoughtfully. "It just takes time to find their rightful place." That was when we heard the villagers shouting in panic. "What the heck was that?" I asked, careful not to swear.

Apparently Vikings didn't know very much about swear words, and I was in no hurry to teach it to them. Only reason I've used them is when I'm angry or nervous. And lately I hadn't been swearing. I think it comes with the territory.

"We're about to find out," Hiccup said as the villagers ran towards us. Snotlout started running after the group, a panicked look on his face as he ran behind me. He was gasping for breath before finally explaining the situation as quickly as he could.

"I never… thought… I'd say this… but Hiccup, Alex…" He panted and started to shake Hiccup by the shoulders when Hookfang rounded the corner. My eyes widened when I realized that Hookfang was on a rampage. " **Help**!"

Hookfang started firing blasts at the plaza, roaring in anger as he charged at whoever was unfortunate enough to be in his way. The people who were around started running as far away as possible, screaming and shouting in fear.

"Everyone, back away!" Stoick ordered. "The dragon is out of control; it's not safe here."

I spotted Jacob struggling to keep Sniper under control while Snotlout's dragon kept himself lit on fire. This really couldn't get any worse.

The three of us started running towards Hookfang after Snotlout finally caught his breath. "I don't know what came over him," Snotlout cried. "I was just rubbing his head. He usually loves that! But then he went all crazy!" He let out a whimper as Hookfang turned and glared at him. "My dragon hates me."

"Snotlout, as much as I'd love to say that's true," I started as the others quickly joined us, "I highly doubt that's the case." Snotlout gave me a look of confusion before realizing what I had said.

"What do you mean 'you'd love to say that's true?'" he demanded.

"They do say that a dragon starts to take after his owner," Fishlegs suggested while eyeing Snotlout. "I think that's what's happening here."

"Hey!" Snotlout shouted while elbowing Fishlegs in the stomach.

"I rest my case," Fishlegs groaned after wincing in pain.

Hiccup tilted his head a little as he slowly made his way towards Hookfang. "How long has it been since he ate?" he suddenly asked.

"Not for days," Snotlout replied. Hiccup grabbed a fish and held up.

"Hey boy, you hungry?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Hookfang sniffed the fish curiously as Hiccup threw it at him. The Nightmare caught the fish with ease, than quickly spit it out. I tried not to laugh when the fish landed on Stoick's beard. It seemed oddly fitting that should happen to Stoick of all people.

"Sorry, dad," Hiccup apologized.

"We've got to bring this dragon under control," Stoick said while tossing the fish aside. Toothless was quick to snatch it up before anyone else could.

"Don't worry, I can do this," Hiccup reassured him. "There you go, it's going to be okay." He reached out for Hookfang, but the Monstrous Nightmare only lashed out at him. I managed to pry him away just in time as Hookfang snapped his jaws where his hand had been seconds ago.

Toothless let out a growl and lunged at Hookfang, knocking him aside when Hookfang started charging after us. Once Hookfang managed to separate from Toothless, he shot a fireball towards one of the homes, which immediately caught on fire.

"Toothless, stop!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless stopped in his tracks when he realized what he was about to do. We were both staring at the scene in horror as Vikings tried putting out the fire. Snowfire had heard the commotion long before it started. She managed to drop in just in time and fired ice at the burning home; seconds later the flames were doused.

"I've seen enough, Hiccup," Stoick said after helping us up. "I'm sorry, we tried it your way."

' _No amount of fighting can stop this stupid beast_ ,' Snowfire hissed as Hookfang rounded on us. She managed to block his view, pinning him down by freezing the ground underneath his claws. ' _Stop acting like a hatchling_!' she screeched at Hookfang.

Amazingly Hookfang was intimidated by her larger appearance. The air around us had suddenly gotten colder, if that was even possible. Finally Hookfang dropped his gaze and headed for the further part of the plaza.

"Come on guys, hurry up and think," Hiccup began as Hookfang started setting other homes on fire. "What haven't we tried?"

"How 'bout knocking him out?" I suggested.

"Snotlout, you have an idea?" Hiccup turned to Snotlout, whose eyes had widened with worry.

"Gobber!" he shouted, pointing towards the man in question. I couldn't help but wince when I noticed he had taken his dragon killing weapon's rack with him.

"Stand back," Gobber told us. "I came here to do what I do best."

"He's here to kill my dragon!" Snotlout realized. I don't think I've ever seen him looking so distraught.

"No, he's not," Hiccup reassured him.

"Uh, yeah he is," Tuffnut muttered with a nod.

"You don't use that stuff to butter toast," Ruffnut agreed with her brother, for once.

"Well, I mean we would, but you wouldn't," Tuffnut put in with a shrug.

"Dad, you can't be serious!" Hiccup said as he grabbed Stoick by the arm. I found it funny how his hand barely wrapped around Stoick's arm. I wasn't sure why it was those quirky little things that got my attention.

"Hookfang _is_ Snotlout's dragon," I added. Which would explain a lot.

"I'm sorry you two, but sometimes you got to fall back on the old ways," Gobber told us.

"But as stubborn as he is, he's still a good dragon," I pointed out.

"And any dragon deserves a second chance," Jacob added. I was surprised to hear him of all people say that, considering where we were from.

"Yeah, he's a good dragon!" Snotlout cried. I noticed that he actually really did look like he was going to cry. His eyes grew round with horror as Gobber shook his head.

"There's probably just something wrong with him," Hiccup said.

"There's definitely something wrong with him!" Snotlout shouted in agreement.

"There has to be something we can do," I added.

' _Anything would be better than what he is doing now_ ,' Snowfire agreed with us. By now she had crawled over to my side, growling in annoyance as Hookfang roared defiantly.

"We can't get rid of him just because he's having a bad day," Hiccup said.

"A bad day for a dragon could be disaster for us," Stoick warned us. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take." Stoick looked down at Gobber before giving him a nod to go on. "Gobber!"

Gobber nodded before stepping towards Hookfang, a determined look on his face. He threw the bolas at Hookfang, tying the dragon's wrings together and knocking him to the ground. Hookfang tried throwing another blast of fire, but only ended up coughing up a tiny flame.

"Ha! You're all out," Gobber said with a grin. He drew his sword and aimed it at Hookfang before stopping himself. Hiccup ran over to Gobber and tried stopping him from killing Hookfang.

"I can't let you do this," he insisted.

"There's no choice, it has to be done," Gobber snapped while prying away his arm.

Hookfang was about to set himself on fire and free himself from the bolas when he took a defensive position. When he roared we all noticed something caught in his teeth. "Do you see that?" Gobber had noticed it as well.

"I do," Hiccup realized.

As Hookfang drew back, Gobber narrowed his eyes and placed the sword back in it's sheathe. "Time to put this beast out of it's misery."

"Hiccup, what are you doing?" Astrid demanded as she took a step forward. All I could do was place a hand on her shoulder and stop her. We both knew what Gobber was about to do, whether or not everyone else was aware of that, it didn't matter.

Tuffnut had looked away as Gobber approached a growling Hookfang, earning a punch in the arm from his sister. Snotlout whimpered in surprise when he realized what Gobber was doing. Gobber meanwhile let out a yell before charging after Hookfang and wrapping his arms around the dragon's neck. Hookfang tried shaking Gobber off, only to find the Viking latched on as he tried prying whatever was wedged between Hookfang's teeth. Once Hookfang had managed to shake Gobber off, he grinned triumphantly.

"You didn't kill him!" Snotlout exclaimed while grinning with happiness.

"For a toothache?" Gobber asked skeptically. He showed off the tooth in question, which was rotten from the bottom. "What kind of lunatic are you?"

Ouch, I could see why Hookfang was so pissed off. I hated toothaches as much as dragons did. Luckily I've never had a cavity once. And I planned on keeping it that way.

Hookfang rubbed his mouth on the ground before running around like a carefree dragon. He suddenly jumped after Snotlout and pushed him to the ground. I tried not to smirk as Snotlout laughed and tickled Hookfang's snout. "Stop it!" he laughed once again and shoved Hookfang away. "I don't know where that came from," he started while trying to act all tough again. "Can you train that out of him or…" Snotlout stopped as Hookfang and the others rolled their eyes.

"Thanks Gobber," Hiccup said as we approached him. "A bad tooth; I can't believe we didn't think about that!"

"That's because you're not Gobber," he pointed out. "I've learned about more dragons than most men will ever know! Anyway, better put the girls away." He patted his rack of weapons before pulling them away from the plaza.

I exchanged a look with Hiccup. He did have a good point there. And he had shown that he was capable of doing more than just make weapons.

"Not so fast," Hiccup stopped him by grabbing him by the arm. Gobber turned and looked at us with a look of confusion.

...

' _The human has finally found his place once more_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we watched Gobber work with the dragons. Gobber had been working as the new dentist for dragons a few days now, and already had lines forming at the forge. It was good to hear him singing again.

"Yep, I'm glad that he's found his place here," I murmured sheepishly.

"Yeah, now it's just our turn," Jacob added. Sniper let out a growl of content before nudging his arm. It was amazing to see how different Sniper was compared to Hookfang. I was beginning to wonder if Fishlegs was right when he'd said that dragons often took after their riders.

I eyed the sign we put above Gobber's old forge. It was a large wooden tooth Hiccup had finished overnight. Gobber was now the official dragon dentist. To make it even more official there was a ceremony held earlier this morning in honor of his new job.

' _Are you still planning on leaving_?' Snowfire's question caught me off guard. Luckily Jacob hadn't heard it; he was busy chatting with Jessica as she returned from whatever it was she did.

"No... I think... I think I'll stay," I replied, my voice dropping to a whisper. "At least until I know the dragons won't be hurt."

' _You belong with dragons_ ,' Snowfire reassured me.

All that kept me from gaping at her was the fact that everyone else was watching. I had no idea what she meant by that. But something told me that no good would come from it. Especially with people like Mildew who still seemed to hate dragons with all his... whatever it was he had.

* * *

 **AN: So there's the next chapter. Not too much has changed, other than combining two chapters into one. I've been reworking on the chapters for the Paradigm, and I have to say, it's changed quite a lot from the original. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm looking forward to seeing what readers will think of it ;)**

 **Sil - Me too, Sniper's gonna be fun to write about. He's not nearly as spacey as Hookfang, but he does have his moments XD And Jessica didn't really get a dragon... more about that will be explained in later chapters though :)**

 **The Silent Fury - Just adding to the drama. It keeps things interesting ;)**

 **Drunken Hamsters - It's all good, I haven't really watched much of the second series either, but I plan on writing it. And I've never heard of that show, I've been watching the Librarians and Agents of SHIELD, and of course the Big Bang Theory. Those three shows never get old ;)**


	15. Animal House

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

" _Brother let me be your shelter I'll never leave you all alone, I can be the one you call When you're low, Brother let me be your fortress When the night winds are driving on Be the one to light the way, Bring you home..._ " - Brother, NEEDTOBREATHE

* * *

According to legend dragons and Vikings had been at war for nearly three hundred years. But one day the Vikings decided to make a pact with the dragons, after we had killed the Red Death. Now the dragons were living with us.

Unfortunately no one had told the animals about our little peace treaty. Life had been peaceful for the animals… until one day the dragons were suddenly allowed to live among them. The animals were terrified now as the dragons acted, well, like dragons. And that fear would lead to future problems, as it would seem.

On the farm a Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare shrieked at each other. It was obvious they were playing, but the animals didn't see it that way. They chose to play near the sheep pen, and the sheep were scurrying away trying to stay out of the crossfire.

"Oh, not again!" Mulch huffed with Bucket close behind. "You, go now! You get… get, shoo!" Both he and Bucket managed to chase away the dragons fighting each. "You know you're not supposed to be here."

"Alright everybody, time to earn your keep," Mulch said cheerfully. He settled down beside the yak in order to milk it. Meanwhile Bucket went over to the chicken coop to fetch the eggs. But when he tried lifting one of the hens, he found there were no eggs and got confused.

"Chickens lay eggs, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Do we really need to go over this again?" he asked with a sigh.

"No," Bucket said slowly. Than he turned to the sheep and lifted it in confusion.

"Apparently we do," Mulch muttered with a shake of his head. "Now listen carefully. Wool." He pointed to the sheep. "Eggs," he said while pointing towards the chicken coop. "And milk." Again he pointed towards the yak. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Bucket cocked his head in confusion, and Mulch let out another sigh. "Observe," he said while sitting back down on the stool. "You grab the udder like so, and pull." He pulled the yak's udder but nothing came out. "Pull," Mulch said again while pulling the udder again. "Pull!" The yak suddenly kicked him in the stomach when he pulled too hard. "Uh oh, I think we're empty!" Mulch exclaimed after recovering. "That's not good."

...

Snowfire flew low to the ground, narrowly avoiding Toothless as Hiccup tried to keep up. I tried not to laugh at Hiccup's expression when Snowfire only flew faster. She was known for her speed and fiery attitude. Two things never to mess with when it came to White Terrors.

The mountain we were flying over was covered in snow. With the colder winter approaching, everyone was preparing for the worst. This was just our way of winding down and relaxing. Snowfire had gotten tired of everyone in the village running around in a rush.

Suddenly Toothless managed to streak ahead as Snowfire had slowed down a little. The smirk on Hiccup's face was priceless as they swerved past us.

' _I will not give them the satisfaction of winning_ ,' Snowfire pouted.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked with a grin. Snowfire hummed in amusement before twirling in mid-flight. I held back a shout of surprise as she fired two blasts at Toothless, giving him enough of a distraction to fall behind.

"Hey! Alex!"

"Oops, did we do that?" I looked over my shoulder, feigning innocence before Snowfire flew ahead. Toothless narrowed his eyes before flying faster to catch up.

"Hey!" I tried not to laugh as Toothless flared a wing, blocking our path. Snowfire let out a growl of irritation as Hiccup smirked triumphantly. When Toothless finally dropped his wing I realized too late we were headed for a snow-covered tree. Snowfire ducked just in time to avoid hitting the branch. "So, it's gonna be like that, huh?"

' _I have a few tricks up my wing_ ,' Snowfire warned me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hiccup replied in a calm voice. Even I could hear the laughter in his voice. Snowfire simply rolled her eyes and let out a huff of smoke as we flew into the cloud.

Without warning Snowfire suddenly fired another plasma blast, similar to the one that Toothless used. Only hers was white, and hot enough to melt rocks. She managed to dislodge a pile of snow as it flew everywhere, making Toothless swerve left and right. He spun around like toy top before managing to regain his footing, only to watch us fly ahead.

"Hey!" Hiccup yelled.

"It was her idea, but I approve," I said while patting her on the neck. "Nice work back there," I added in a whisper.

' _Anything to win_ ,' she replied.

That was when I heard an odd sound from behind us. I turned around just in time to see a huge pile of snow crashing down on us at full speed. My heart started racing when I realized it was an avalanche. It seemed all the fuss we'd created back there had started one.

"Alex!" I didn't need to look twice to notice that Toothless was struggling to fly. Snowfire was quick to fly down and offer help, but by the time we reached them it was too late. I held out a hand, desperate to get us both out of this situation before the snow piled over us. I'd heard enough stories in my world of people dying from avalanches to know they were dangerous.

' _There is no time_ ,' Snowfire suddenly cried as the snow advanced towards us. I glanced over just in time to see the snow piling down on us. Forcing back a scream I held on to Snowfire for dear life as the snow forced us down the cliff.

The darkness that followed sent shivers of fear through me. It wasn't just the cold that had terrified me. It was the fact that we were trapped under a thick layer of snow that horrified me. I've never lived in a world of snow until a year ago. Living in sunny Florida had taken away that opportunity.

"A-Alex?" Hiccup's voice was shaken as he tried seeing in the dark.

"Over here," I replied while trying to keep warm. "I'm freezing." I hadn't realized until now that my teeth were clattering.

"Come here," Hiccup said without hesitation. I didn't bother thinking of the risks as I crawled over to him. It was too dark and too cold to see or do anything else at this point. To my surprise Hiccup wrapped his arms around me, and I wasted no time in doing the same. "Where are the dragons?" he asked warily.

For the record I have never been this close to any guy in my life. Not even my dad had given the chance to hug me or treat me like a daughter. And inside my mind was screaming to get away. All that kept me from running was the fact that I was freezing.

' _We are here_ ,' came Snowfire's response. ' _A little shaken, but we are fine_.'

As if to prove her point, Toothless fired a plasma blast on to the snow cave's roof. Another flash of light told me that Snowfire had shot a blast as well. "Toothless?" Hiccup asked as the Night Fury continued firing plasma blasts.

A few more blasts of fire were shot at the roof, and suddenly a dim ray of sunlight began to peak through the hole they'd formed. When our eyes adjusted we found ourselves trapped in a dome of snow. I looked up in surprise to see that Snowfire and Toothless were using their wings to create a barrier, which had stopped the snow from crushing us. Their fire blasts were enough to reveal an opening on the roof above us, letting in just enough sunlight for us to see.

"Dragons never cease to amaze me," I whispered in awe.

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded in agreement. "I think we're going to be okay."

' _Of course you are, hatchlings_ ,' Snowfire said with a roll of her eyes. Than she looked at us and smirked.

I hadn't realized until than that we were still clinging on to each other. Hiccup made a coughing sound before backing away, ruffling the back of his hair in embarrassment. I tried to hide my blush by looking at Snowfire. Toothless was crooning in amusement when he caught sight of Hiccup's blush.

"So, w-we're good now?" Hiccup asked awkwardly.

"Y-yeah, good as new!" I replied, feeling equally uncomfortable. Snowfire only rolled her eyes when she saw what we were doing.

' _Why can you hatchlings not admit your feelings_?' she asked in a voice full of annoyance.

We both looked at her in disbelief before scooting further away from each other. Leave it to Snowfire to make an awkward situation even worse.

...

Thankfully it hadn't taken us long to get out of the snow cave. With the help of Snowfire we had managed to crawl out just as it started getting colder. Snowfire had also managed to melt the ice covering Toothless' tale fin before we took off.

In all I was grateful to be out of that awkward situation. We hadn't spoken much since than, and rightfully so. But once we had gathered the other teens where the abandoned catapults were, we started telling them what had happened.

"… And then the dragons used their wings to block the snow," Hiccup was finishing retelling the story. Everyone stared at us with wide eyes.

"I've never seen anything like that," Fishlegs said with a curious gaze. "Not even in the Book of Dragons."

"I'd say this is definitely something we have to add in," I murmured. All the while I had kept quiet, thinking of what Snowfire had said.

' _Did you think we would let you die_?' she suddenly asked. She was laying down behind me, head resting on a boulder until I had said that. All of us looked at her in surprise before Astrid finally spoke up.

"It's incredible!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement, "it's as if their protective instincts kicked in!" Snowfire only snorted and let out a huff of smoke into Astrid's face. I tried not to laugh, since Astrid had been sitting closer to her she stared at Snowfire in utter shock.

"I'd like to know what you two were doing out there in the first place," Jacob added under his breath. I just rolled my eyes and ignored the comment.

"Who'd believe it?" asked Hiccup. "The dragons we fought for hundreds of years, were protecting us." He eyed Snowfire curiously as she locked gazes with him.

' _Our loyalty is to our rider, and our rider only_ ,' she told him. ' _We would die for them, if given the choice_.' This time it was my turn to look away when she said that. It was amazing what dragons could do. All this time we were still learning about their skills and abilities, and their behavior.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for them we would have frozen to death," I put in.

"You know, you could have used your own bodies to keep yourselves warm," Fishlegs told me.

Hiccup and I looked at each other, and I didn't realize until now that we were both blushing like red tomatoes. Snowfire hummed in amusement as we scooted further away.

"Who would do that?" Hiccup asked nervously.

"Yeah, that's crazy talk," I added while trying to hide my blush. The looks Jacob and Astrid gave us was priceless. I could imagine what was running through their minds at the moment.

"Hey Alex, if you're still cold…" Snotlout started while holding out his arms. I only rolled my eyes and hit the catapult that was covered in snow. Snotlout, whose lips were still formed for a kiss, made a noise of surprise when the snow covered him. "Hey!" he protested in a muffled voice.

"Hey Hiccup, Alex," a new voice greeted us. We both turned in time to see that the twins had finally joined us. "Your dad is looking for you," Tuffnut announced.

"Stoick looked pretty angry," Ruffnut put in.

"My father's looked like that since the day I was born," Hiccup explained as he got on Toothless. I was quick to get on Snowfire as she crouched down. "But I'm sure there is no connection."

"Let's just hope it's nothing serious," I muttered under my breath.

"Knowing my dad it's always serious," he said with a smirk.

To which I just rolled my eyes again as we took off. It didn't take us long to reach Hiccup's house. Snowfire had to wait outside, much to her annoyance when Toothless was allowed inside. Toothless was more than happy to jump on his stone slab, which was covered in a pile of fish.

I gave a faint nod to Stoick as he stood up when we got inside. It wasn't surprising to see Gobber was sitting next to him. Those two had been good friends since childhood.

"With a bad storm coming, we could be locked in," Stoick began explaining the situation. "We might not be able to hunt or fish for months." I didn't miss the worry in his voice. Clearly they had gone through something far worse in the past.

"It's too early for a storm," Hiccup pointed out. "We're in the middle of winter. Devastating winter isn't due for a whole other month."

"Not according to Gothi," Stoick replied.

"What should we do about it? We can't control the weather!" Hiccup reminded him.

"And why exactly am I here, sir?" I added. It's not like I've done anything useful over the past few days.

"No, but you can control dragons," Stoick said to Hiccup. "And your connection with Snowfire could help."

"How can my connection with Snowfire help?" I folded my arms and eyed Stoick skeptically.

"You could communicate with the dragons through her," Gobber suggested with a shrug. I could already imagine the response I would get had I asked for Snowfire's help. True she had saved me, but I doubted she would help with simple things like this.

That was when Mulch and Bucket decided to step inside. I tried not to laugh when Bucket was holding on to his… well, bucket. Mulch held up a pale and handed it to Stoick, who shook the pale, only to find that it was empty.

"Any luck?" Stoick asked hopefully.

"Nothing," Mulch replied in a sad voice. "And that was after yanking at the poor yak for three hours."

Everyone than turned to look at us hopefully. "But it's not like the dragons are trying to be scary," Hiccup explained while patting Toothless' head. "I mean, they don't even eat farm animals. They eat fish."

"True," Gobber said with a nod of agreement, "but they're huge, breath fire, and ever since we've made peace with them they're everywhere. The animals are terrified of them!"

"This is where you come in and say, 'I'll fix this.'" Stoick turned and looked down at his son.

"Okay, but how much time do we have before the storm hits?" Hiccup asked.

"About a week," Mulch replied.

"No problem, that's more than enough time," I said with a shrug.

Suddenly Bucket started moaning in pain as he grabbed hold of his bucket-head. Mulch looked at him in concern before shaking his head. "Correction," he sighed. "Make that three days, and six hours top."

"Okay, less time might be more of a problem," Hiccup muttered.

...

Three days had passed and we still hadn't made any progress with the animals. It was a race against time getting the animals to understand that dragons were not a threat. Unfortunately it didn't help that the dragons weren't making any effort at all. Just the other day Hookfang had tried attacking the nearest sheep, causing it to faint on the spot.

"Come on big boy, you can do it!" Hiccup and Astrid were trying to pull an unfortunate yak towards a Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare. The two dragons looked unimpressed with the sight. "You'll really like them if you get to know them," he added when the yak struggled to free itself.

"The dragons look scary, but they're really just big scaly reptiles!" Astrid put in.

"Just like Snotlout," Tuffnut said with a smirk. Snotlout picked him up by the scruff of his neck, a scowl written across his face as he glared.

"You're the guy, right?" he asked after narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Uh, no," Tuffnut replied while making his voice more feminine.

' _Speak for yourself, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire suddenly cut in while glaring at Astrid. I couldn't help but smirk at the look Astrid gave her.

The Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare started roaring at each other, causing the yak to suddenly turn and run away in fear. It finally made it to the other side of the arena, trembling at the sight of two dragons fighting each other.

"Seriously guys, you're just as bad as the twins," I muttered under my breath. The two dragons than stopped once they saw Snowfire. She had jumped into the middle of the fray, letting out an eerie shriek that made everyone shiver.

' _They will not be fighting any time soon_ ,' she huffed once she managed to get away.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

' _A show of defiance_ ,' Snowfire replied. ' _No dragon dares attack someone bigger than them_.'

"Okay, what if we look at this from an animal's perspective?" Fishlegs suggested. He dropped down to all fours and approached the dragons cautiously. "Oh hello, Mr. Dragon. I'm just a little sheep, walking around doing sheep things." The real sheep looked at Fishlegs sceptically as he started making sheep noises. "You know, he really doesn't seem all that big…" Fishlegs stopped when he looked at the Monstrous Nightmare. It suddenly let out a fierce roar, causing him to retreat as quickly as he could. "Sorry, but I'm siding with the animals on this one," he shouted after hiding underneath Meatlug.

"Fishlegs, you're not helping," Jacob said with a facepalm.

"Look," Hiccup started after pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've learned that when you have a positive experience with something, it isn't so scary anymore."

"Yep," I agreed after folding my arms. "I used to terrified of flying until Snowfire proved it's not so bad."

"Why were you afraid of flying?" Astrid suddenly asked.

"It's… not exactly something I like talking about," I murmured, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again. "Let's just say that a lot of people died that day, more than I'd like to count." Astrid was ready to say something else when Hiccup shot her a look that caused her to stop.

I caught Jacob's eyes and mouthed, 'not a word'. He simply nodded in understanding, already knowing where that conversation would have led.

"Okay boys," Hiccup said while trying to change the subject. "There you go, over here." He started herding the sheep closer to the dragons, forming the sheep in a line. "And that's what we'll do with the sheep. We have to prove to them there's nothing to be afraid."

I watched with amusement as the Monstrous Nightmare took one sniff of the sheep and sneezed. Moments later and one of the sheep's fur caught on fire.

"Oh, at this rate we'll never get any milk or eggs!" Hiccup sighed in annoyance as the animals started running around in terror. Snowfire was kind enough to put out the flaming sheep when it got too close.

"Maybe we could try working on the chickens next," I suggested.

"Another way for the animals to overcome their fear is to show that the dragons are afraid of things as well," Hiccup explained as the animals continued running.

"Remember Magnus the Merciless?" Astrid asked. Everyone but Jacob and I shuddered almost involuntarily at the name. I'd have to ask Hiccup once this was over who that guy was. "He was a pretty scary guy. I was afraid of him until he, in turn, was afraid of the dark."

"During the day, merciless," Tuffnut began.

"And during the night, Tuffnut," Ruffnut finished with a smirk.

"Hey, that's a real problem!" her brother muttered while punching her in the arm.

"I'm just saying," Astrid went on with a shrug, "that knowing he was afraid of something made him less scary to me."

It was hard to believe Astrid of all people was afraid of someone at one point in her life. I guess there were still some things I needed to learn here.

"Exactly," Hiccup said while rooting around a basket for an eel. Of all the things a dragon was afraid of, for some reason it had to be an eel. Even Snowfire was afraid of them, and had shown obvious distaste towards them. "So let's show the yaks that dragons are afraid of things as well."

Almost at once the two started reacting violently. I watched with a smirk as the Monstrous Nightmare tried getting away, while the Deadly Nadder recoiled at the creature wriggling in Hiccup's hand.

The yak started realizing that maybe dragons weren't too bad after all. I didn't miss the fact that they were having a conversation.

"I think it's working," I whispered hopefully. That was when Hiccup dropped the eel. I mentally facepalmed as the eel started slithering at a rapid pace towards the dragons. The Monstrous Nightmare let out a roar and started panicking at the sight. It turned around and tried running away, swinging it's tail into one of the sheep in the process. I found it difficult not to laugh when the sheep was sent flying across the arena. "Don't worry," I murmured while placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Things could be far worse.

"Worried?" Hiccup asked with a shrug. "I-I'm not worried! Do I look worried?" he demanded while turning to look at me.

At that moment all of the animals started running out of the arena. Everyone tried catching them while I managed to reach the Monstrous Nightmare and calmed it down. It was amusing to watch them try and wrestle with the yaks. But I knew that the animals were escaping, and that could only lead to disaster.

"It's just like being at the circus," I muttered as the Nightmare rubbed it's nose against my hand.

"You know what I'm learning from this?" Hiccup complained while holding up two hens. "Chickens are really, well, chicken."

' _They taste good as well_ ,' Snowfire added, earning a glare from Hiccup and me. She only hummed in amusement before stalking further away.

"What if we showed them how much they have in common?" Fishlegs asked in an excited tone. We all looked at him in confusion until he revealed what he was hiding behind his back. "They both lay eggs, right? A Terrible Terror laid one just last week!"

Fishlegs gently put the egg down and backed away as one of the hens approached it cautiously. The hen flapped her wings and started to show signs of comfort. "Alright, see?" Hiccup asked nervously. "An egg is an egg, right ladies?"

The egg suddenly exploded from underneath the hen, sending a shower of sparks and flames everywhere. The hen panicked and scurried away in a fluffy of feathers. By now Jacob and I were struggling not to laugh, and everyone gave me strange looks.

"Until they explode," I said while trying to catch my breath. I don't know why I found it so damn funny. Animal abuse wasn't something I enjoyed, but this was more like a comedy show.

"That would've been hilarious in slow motion," Jacob added in a whisper. I only smirked in agreement. If only we had working cameras here.

Unfortunately the chickens were making such a racket that it caused the other animals to panic as well. My eyes widened when I realized that the gate to the arena had opened. Mulch and Gobber had stepped in just in time for the wind to pick up.

"Everybody out!" Gobber shouted. "The storm's here!"

"Wait, we haven't made any progress with the animals," Hiccup protested.

Gobber picked up the nearest chicken with his hook, frowning as he looked at us all.

"Your father wants everyone in the Great Hall," he retorted.

"Take the others," Hiccup told him. "I need to stay here and keep working with the animals. They're still afraid!"

"You can't get eggs from a frozen chicken," Gobber insisted with a shake of his head. "We need to get the animals to the barn."

...

We walked on in silence, well, except for the animals. They kept making the noises an animal would make as the dragons flew ahead. Only Snowfire and Toothless kept close to make sure the animals didn't stray too far.

' _I do not like this_ ,' Snowfire suddenly crooned.

"What, the snow or us giving up so easily?" I asked in a whisper. I hated the idea of giving up, especially since we hadn't really made much progress at all. Why did the animals have to make this so difficult?

' _This weather makes it difficult to control the temperature around me_ ,' she explained. ' _The colder it gets, the harder it is to control it_.'

Huh, I never really thought of what might happen under extreme weather conditions. I guess even White Terrors like Snowfire had their weaknesses. It was something else to add to the Book of Dragons. Lately I had been writing down all of the details I could find, but they were mostly in my journal. But this was something I could add to the book.

"So much for the barn," Gobber suddenly announced. I looked over his shoulder to see that the door had been frozen over.

"There's no other place to keep them!" Mulch yelled over the wind.

"The Great Hall!" Hiccup reminded them.

"So, we're gonna have the animals and dragons under the same roof," Mulch said hesitantly. "We know that won't work."

"Do you have a better idea?" I shouted over another gust of wind. Mulch was ready to argue when he thought better of it.

Instead all of us started making our way to the Great Hall. It felt like it was getting colder by the minute. And as per-freaking usual, I wasn't dressed for it. Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered.

The animals had started walking in several different directions as we got closer. It was obvious they were trying to avoid the dragons. Judging by the look on their faces they weren't in any hurry to get along either.

"Right," Gobber started. "Keep them separated."

"This way!" Astrid yelled to the sheep.

"Come on, let's go this way," Fishlegs said to a stray sheep.

As if on cue, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck a nearby tree. Stormfly, who had landed shortly after, let out a yelp of surprise at the sight. She was so startled that her tail spikes suddenly flared up, whipping Hookfang in the face. Hookfang, enraged by this act, engulfed himself in flames. And of course the animals started to panic at the sight, scattering in different directions.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Snotlout exclaimed. He stood in front of a herd of yaks stampeding towards him. I tried not to laugh as they trampled over him. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Okay, everything hurts!" he groaned in pain.

The animals ran around Fishlegs until he started getting dizzy and fell on the ground. A flock of sheep ran over him as they were chased by Ruffnut. She had almost caught them until a chicken flew up in her face.

As I watched the animals flee I realized they stood no chance out there. It definitely was getting colder. Without hesitation I got onto Snowfire's back, having noticed that Hiccup did the same with Toothless.

"Where are you goin'?" Gobber demanded as we started to take off.

"I'm going after them," Hiccup replied.

"Forget it Hiccup, we'll never find them in this storm!" Gobber shouted.

"With the dragons we can," I pointed out.

"We have to try, or else we'll starve to death," Hiccup added.

"No, your father will kill me if I leave you out there," Gobber said with a shake of his head.

"Sorry Gobber," I apologized as we both took off.

Oh we were never going to hear the end of this. I could imagine Stoick would have a few choice words for us if we made it back alive.

' _I cannot control the temperature when it is this cold_ ,' Snowfire reminded us.

"I don't think that's a problem," Hiccup replied.

"It is when you're not dressed for the weather," I pointed out under my breath. I was already shivering from the cold, though luckily no one noticed. The last thing I wanted to do was hold them back.

Toothless had to fire several plasma blasts when it got too dark to see. I hadn't missed the fact that the others joined us shortly after we took off. It was good to know we wouldn't suffer through this alone.

"You guys grab as many as you can," Hiccup ordered over the howling wind. "We'll herd them back to the Great Hall!"

"Can we swing by my house?" Fishlegs asked while trying to keep himself warm. "I'd like to grab my heavy coat!"

"Hey, check this out!" Tuffnut suddenly shouted while slapping himself. "I'm so cold I can't even feel my face!" Ruffnut slapped him shortly after, scowling when she realized he didn't feel it. "See, didn't feel it!"

"That takes all the fun out of it!" Ruffnut groaned.

"There they are!" Hiccup suddenly yelled. "Come on!"

"Yaks to the left!" Jacob shouted.

"Chickens!" Snotlout pointed out. He flew past Hiccup and nearly ran into Meatlug in the process. "Hey, give me some space! I'm flyin' over here!" Snotlout scolded.

I watched as the others tried herding the animals together. Snotlout hadn't managed to round up the chickens despite his eagerness to reach them. Instead Hookfang had flown higher in the sky towards a tree. Hookfang had lost control and was starting to spin around, creating more of a problem than help.

Jacob and Astrid were working together to herd the sheep into a fence created by Stormfly's spikes. They managed to round them up in a matter of minutes. Those two did seem to work well together in a team. I'm glad they got along at all. And of course Hookfang chose that moment to come crashing in to the new corral.

"Snotlout, what are you doing?" Astrid demanded as he knocked the spikes out of place.

"You're all over the place!" Jacob added. The sheep had started running away again once they had their freedom.

"You try herding chickens with a dragon who doesn't listen to you!" Snotlout retorted.

"Hiccup, stray sheep!" I shouted when three sheep separated from the group. They were all headed in a different direction, towards the mountain.

Hiccup spotted them and flew past me in order to catch them.

' _At the rate this is going we will all freeze_ ,' Snowfire huffed in annoyance.

"I didn't think dragons got that cold," Astrid muttered.

Snowfire let out a huff of smoke that once again covered her face. I tried not to smirk when she glared at Snowfire.

I looked up just in time to see a baby sheep fall off the cliff. Horror surged through me as I realized what was about to happen. Until Toothless suddenly swooped in out of nowhere and caught it. Seconds later and the baby sheep was gently placed on the ground with it's parents.

"Good job bud," Hiccup said just as we reached him.

"Hiccup, this storm is getting worse," I pointed out. "We can barely see a thing!" Hiccup looked at me warily before patting Toothless on the neck.

"Come on bud, give us some light," he ordered. Toothless than shot a plasma blast that lit up the entire field of snow. My eyes narrowed as I saw two figures silhouetted against the faint light. "Stray yaks! Twelve o'clock!" Hiccup suddenly shouted.

"I see them!" Tuffnut called back. "And they are huge!" They flew through the storm with surprising speed, given how big Barf and Belch were. The Zippleback wasn't very well known for it's speed. "I got the yaks!" he told us.

"Put me down now!" a new voice shouted.

I tried not to grin when I realized who they had grabbed. In the midst of the chaos Stoick and Gobber had managed to find us. Ruffnut and Tuffnut just shrugged before dropped them on the snow.

"Do I look like a yak to you?" Gobber demanded.

' _You smell like one_ ,' Snowfire crooned in amusement. Gobber glared at her but didn't say anything. Ironically he had landed next to a real yak, who rolled it's eyes and trotted away without a care.

Hiccup landed Toothless shortly after and approached his father shamefully. "You shouldn't be here, son," Stoick scolded him.

"Dad, I'm sorry that I let you down."

"This isn't your fault, son," Stoick reassured him. We landed nearby just as Stoick placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we're taking you back."

"Which way?" Gobber asked.

"Follow our tracks," Stoick replied, pointing towards an unmarked path.

' _This is why we mark our territories_ ,' Snowfire chided them softly.

"Well, so much for that idea," Gobber muttered.

"Sir?" Fishlegs asked in a pitiful voice. "What do we do now?"

I hadn't noticed until now how much I was shivering. My bare arms probably looked blue from the cold. Stoick turned and looked at us all before holding out his arms.

"Everyone come together," he ordered. I just stayed where I was, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Stoick gave me an odd look before letting out a sigh of frustration. "You two, Alex." I eyed him warily before finally joining them.

Carefully Hiccup wrapped his arm over me, noticing how much I was shaking. I tried to avoid his gaze when I noticed how concerned he suddenly was. If it wasn't for Stoick ordering me to join them I probably would have frozen to death.

Needless to say I was exhausted. I don't think I've ever felt so tired in my life. The voices around me had become muffled as black spots began appearing around the edge of my vision. I wouldn't have realized until than that I passed out.

...

Everyone was shivering from the cold as Toothless and the rest of the dragons kept close watch on their riders. The bitter winds lashed cruelly against them. Hiccup was trying desperately to hide the blush when he wrapped his arm around Alex. She felt colder than anyone in the group, and it hadn't taken anyone long to realize that she wasn't dressed for this kind of weather.

"She'll be okay, won't she?" he couldn't help but ask as Snowfire made a crooning noise of concern. He hadn't seen anyone's skin look so pale before, to the point he was afraid she actually had died. Luckily though he could still hear her faint breathing over the howling wind.

"I don't know, son," Stoick replied. "I haven't seen anything like this."

"She's been through worse," Jacob murmured as he huddled between Fishlegs and Snotlout. The two looked at him strangely. "I'm not at liberty to discuss what happened to her. When she's ready, she'll tell you."

Hiccup wasn't even sure why he was so concerned about her. Alex was so… different from everyone else. And maybe that was why they had gotten along. They shared something in common. But there was still so much about her that he didn't know. And Jacob's remark had only confirmed that.

Suddenly the dragons started spitting a wad of fire around their riders to keep them warm. Toothless had managed to gain the baby sheep's trust and led it over to their small group. Once the baby sheep had noticed that it was safe with the dragons, it called to it's family.

It wasn't long before the other animals had joined them. Soon the small group had become a family as the dragons protected them against the storm's wrath. It was an amazing spectacle that few rarely got to see.

"It's their natural instinct," Astrid whispered in awe.

"Your dragons really are something, son," Stoick told him.

"Yeah, they are." Hiccup glanced down at Alex, who surprisingly enough was still in his arms. He tried hiding another blush when he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Hopefully this wouldn't last too long.

...

I was floating in a world of darkness. My mind was still hazy with everything that had happened. Images of my mom and my old house started floating past me. All I could see was how upset my mom was. Then I saw an image that sent shivers of fear through me.

A picture of someone I had not seen for years was placed right in front of me. The man was, as usual, scowling in disgust as he looked at me. He had the same auburn hair that I was unfortunate enough to inherit.

He was my father. I hated that man for abandoning us during our time of need. My mom had to work overtime in order to keep our house. He had a job at one point that kept us both going. But than he started to change. When I was four he had become more violent and angry. When my mom would work double shifts he would often take out his anger on me.

Finally I had reached the age of five, and already had mental scars from his treatment. One day when I was with my grandparents he just disappeared. The police even ran an investigation to make sure that it wasn't a murder case. Despite the fact that mom was devastated, I had never felt more relieved to see him gone.

"You can't escape me forever," he suddenly whispered. My blood ran cold as I stared at the picture in astonishment. The picture had changed into the real thing. It took a while for me to realize that this was just a dream. Ironic considering I used to think that being stuck on Berk was just a dream. "You are not the only one with your gift."

The scowl on his face never left as he started to fade. All I could do was stare, until finally he disappeared once more. It wasn't long before light began to take over my vision as well. My mind was still a little fuzzy as my eyes started to open.

To my surprise I found myself back in my room. A cozy fire had been started in a fire-pit, similar to the one in the Great Hall. My eyes widened when I realized that Snowfire was sitting right beside me, watching me intensely.

' _Welcome back, little one_ ,' she crooned with happiness as she rubbed my hand. I forced back a groan of pain as I struggled to sit up. ' _The other hatchling was just here_ ,' she suddenly went on. ' _He left to fetch some food_.'

"Um, do you mean Hiccup?" Embarrassment washed over me when Snowfire dipped her head. "Do you know what happened?" I rubbed her muzzle, thankful that everything seemed to be back to normal. I assumed that meant the awful storm was over as well.

' _You fainted_ ,' she replied. ' _The cold became too much for you_.' I nodded in understanding. It had been deathly cold out there, and of course I wasn't dressed for the weather. But everyone else had made it out okay, right? Why was it that I always seemed to be the one who got into trouble?

"So I take it everyone thinks I'm weak as hell," I muttered under my breath in a bitter tone. Which was probably true. Unlike most of the Vikings here I was probably about as weak as they got. Even Hiccup was stronger than me.

' _Of course not_.' Even I could hear the doubt in her voice. I let out a sigh of annoyance and got out of the bed. ' _You should let yourself rest_ ,' she suddenly told me. ' _You have not woken up for quite some time_.'

I looked at her in shock before trying to shake it off. "How long was I out?" I demanded. I hated knowing that I was out for such a long time. The last time something like that had happened was when I was thirteen. My first day of middle school had led to a fight in the hallway. And it had landed me in the hospital for nearly a week.

"For three days, give or take," a new voice suddenly spoke up. Snowfire let out a greeting croon before rushing over to Hiccup's side. I tried not to smirk as she knocked the basket of fish out of his hands. "She hadn't eaten for three days," he added warily.

' _I was worried_ ,' she defended herself, sounding more offended than anything else. We both laughed when she swallowed a pile of fish eagerly.

"So, uh, how did things go with the animals?" I asked, trying to break the awkwardness.

"They're getting along, finally," Hiccup explained while rubbing his arm sheepishly. "Toothless managed to convince them that dragons aren't dangerous."

I couldn't help but grin at that. Leave it to Toothless to try and make things better. There was a reason I loved that Night Fury. We made a pact with the dragons, and as it turned out, they had the instincts to protect us, Vikings and animals alike. Life in this world suddenly got warmer.

...

Later that day I found Jacob sitting in the Great Hall, talking quietly to Fishlegs. My shoulders slumped as I watched the pair. Snowfire hadn't said much about what they had talked about when I was out during the storm. And I was honestly afraid of asking Hiccup.

"Oh, I'll uh... I'll see you later," Fishlegs stammered when he realized I was standing there. He just grinned like a giddy child before scampering outside.

"Hey," I murmured.

"Hey yourself." Jacob eyed me strangely as I sat down across from him. "You feeling better?"

"Well, I'm awake now, so I guess that's a good thing," I replied with a shrug. "I was just... wondering what happened when I blacked out."

"Take a wild guess," he said, looking down at the floor sheepishly. "Hiccup wouldn't take his eyes off of you. For a moment I thought we'd have to pry you out of his arms."

I couldn't help but flinch at that. God I hope nothing serious had happened while I was out. I'm sure the others probably thought I was insane for dressing the way I did in that weather. That didn't make what happened next any better, or easier for that matter.

"Please tell me you didn't say anything about you know who," I whispered, my voice shaken as I pictured that nightmare. Jacob looked at me in surprise before shaking his head.

"I won't tell them," he reassured me. "Alex, I swore that I would never tell anyone what your father did to you. And I plan on taking that to my grave. You don't have to tell anyone until you feel ready."

"Thank you," I let out a sigh of relief. Jacob suddenly reached for my hand and squeezed it gently.

"You really scared the hell out of me," he added with a smile. "If you plan on doing that again, please give me a warning."

"Okay, but I'm not making any promises," I reassured him with a sly look. "We're not in high school anymore. We have new responsibilities."

Not to mention a world to protect. After spending so much time with the dragons, I would now gladly give my life to keep them safe. And anyone else who stood with them.

* * *

 **AN: So there's the next chapter :) I do have quite a few chapters for the Paradigm typed up, so the first chapter for that will be posted tomorrow. Also, I wanted to warn everyone that it has been changed drastically. You'll find out why when you read it. And finally, a super big thank you to Sil for being my one and only reviewer... Oh, one final question, is anyone else having trouble trying to upload their cover photos? For some reason I've been trying to change the cover art to the one Sil made, but FF keeps changing it. Hopefully I'm not the only one have these issues...**

 **Sil - Yep, that would be hilarious ;)**


	16. The Terrible Twos

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

" _Have no fear for giving in, Have no fear for giving over You'd better know that in the end, It's better to say too much Than never to say what you need to say again, Even if your hands are shaking And your faith is broken, Even as the eyes are closing Do it with a heart wide open (a wide heart)..._ " - Say, John Mayer

* * *

I never did tell Hiccup or anyone about those nightmares. The fact that I had seen my father again in a dream had terrified me. I didn't want to admit that I was afraid of what people would say about him. Or the fact that he was my father. As some people I know would have said, he was nothing but a bastard seeking comfort from a woman. Unfortunately my mom happened to be said woman.

Luckily the incident during the snowstorm had been long forgotten by everyone, except for me. I reminded myself to put on warmer clothing when devastating winter arrived. It was just another part of living here on Berk.

Now we were flying through the forest trying to work on communication between rider and dragon. Communication was key while out on the field. Sometimes the dragon knew better than their rider. In my case Snowfire was almost always right when it came to what she had to say.

"Follow me!" Hiccup ordered as we flew into the forest. "Low-level evasive maneuvers; come on bud!" He patted Toothless' neck before flying through one of the gaps in the many trees that blocked our way.

' _I'd like you try and avoid this_ ,' Snowfire grunted as she barely passed an opening that even a Deadly Nadder couldn't get through. I barely managed to hang on to her saddle as she made her way through. How she did get through was beyond me.

I looked over my shoulder in time to see Hookfang crashing into several trees at once. The Nightmare was a bit too cumbersome for this part of the forest. It didn't help that Snotlout was only making things worse for them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Snotlout demanded as he held on to Hookfang's horns. "Are you trying to kill me?" Hookfang just roared at him defiantly. I rolled my eyes when Snotlout looked Hookfang in the eye. He really doesn't learn, does he? "We should go back; I think you missed a branch," he muttered. Hookfang rolled his eyes and swerved down towards the trees that were still intact. Once they got back Snotlout's face was covered in debris. "Got it."

Snowfire ignored his comment and flew towards Toothless. Stormfly and Astrid had managed to keep up with them. Snowfire let out a low growl that caused Stormfly to stop in mid-flight. I had to laugh at Astrid's reaction when she fell behind again.

"Stormfly, up!" she called when they were fast approaching a lower tree branch. Stormfly suddenly ducked down below the branch, throwing Astrid off in the process. Luckily she landed on Stormfly's back seconds later. "You were right, Stormfly," she gasped. "It was down. I almost died!"

"Almost died? I would've died!" Snotlout exclaimed after joining us. He than tried pulling out the branch that was stuck in his nose.

"That's a good look for you," I told him with a grin. Snotlout looked at me in surprise before quickly putting the branch back into his nostril.

"Has anyone seen Fishlegs?" Hiccup suddenly asked.

"I saw him yesterday," Tuffnut replied. "Does that count?"

' _I would bet all of my fish that he is stuck in a tree_ ,' Snowfire said. Toothless almost instantly perked up at that. I smothered another laugh at the sight. When it came to fish Toothless was willing to do anything, within reason of course.

"Well, let's go look for him," Hiccup told us.

"Just follow the trail of fallen trees," I chimed in. Hiccup shot me a smirk before flying towards the direction we came from. We managed to pass a tree and spotted Meatlug stuck inside. By now I was struggling not to laugh when I saw Fishlegs was stuck in a tree down below.

"There you are, Fishlegs," Hiccup said as we landed in the clearing. "Are you okay?"

' _I told you_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement as Toothless looked at her in disappointment.

"I'm fine, just hanging out, not like I crashed or anything," Fishlegs said. There was a pause before he spoke again, this time sounding embarrassed, "Okay I crashed. There, I said it."

"Hang on, we'll get you out," I reassured him.

"Wait, Alex is there?" Fishlegs suddenly sounded worried. I folded my arms and eyed him curiously. We both each took a leg and began to pry him out, but instead managed to pull off his pants.

"Oh, damn," I muttered under my breath, blushing furiously.

"And there goes my dignity," Fishlegs said in an awkward tone.

Reluctantly we both tried pulling him out, but to no avail. All the while Snowfire was making that same laughing sound in the background. It was good to know that someone was amused. This was probably more awkward than when Hiccup and I had to keep each other warm in that snow cave.

"Yeah, you're pretty stuck," Hiccup murmured after backing away.

"I bet Toothless could get him out of there with a plasma blast," I said in a voice low enough that Fishlegs wouldn't hear.

"Sounds like a good idea," Hiccup nodded in agreement. Than his voice rose so that Fishlegs could hear him, "We think we know how to get you down. But you'll have to stay perfectly still." I could see Fishlegs stiffen at once.

"Why, what are you going to do?" he asked anxiously.

"Be careful bud, he's not wearing any pants," Hiccup said to Toothless.

"Huh?" Fishlegs suddenly started getting jumpy. "What does my lack of pants have to do with—" Toothless interrupted him by firing a plasma blast at his backside. Fishlegs was sent tumbling down from the tree, screaming before Toothless had caught him by his tunic. "Thank you," Fishlegs said while gasping in relief. Than he looked at the pants Hiccup was holding. "I believe those are mine," he added awkwardly. Hiccup tossed him the pants without hesitation.

"Now, what are we going to do about Meat—" I was cut off at the sound of branches cracking above us. "—lug!" The dragon in question landed in a bush in front of us.

"Can you guys please not tell anyone about the trees?" Fishlegs asked. "Meatlug's sensitive about her weight." He patted her on the shoulder as she looked down sadly.

' _Perhaps she should try eating less fish_ ,' Snowfire suggested. I forced back a smirk when Fishlegs looked at her shamefully.

"That isn't fat we're talking about," I reminded her. "Gronckle's are known for their muscle and heavy bones." I'd recited a line from the Book of Dragons. And for once I couldn't help feeling proud of myself that I remembered that.

"How did this happen?" Hiccup asked after looking at me in surprise.

"Well," Fishlegs began, "Meatlug and I were just out, taking notes on flora and fauna… you know, typical guy stuff." Hiccup was quick to hide my smirk as Fishlegs looked at us. "Then something weird jumped out of the bushes; it was like a… a flaming squirrel."

"Really? A flaming squirrel?" we both asked in unison.

Now I've seen a lot of crazy things in this world. But a flaming squirrel seemed a bit off, even for me.

"Or a chipmunk," he quickly put in. "Or some other flammable rodent. I don't know." Fishlegs looked down at the ground before trying to ask us to believe him. "Whatever it was, it scared us. Isn't that enough for you?"

"You hear that?" Hiccup asked as he climbed on to Toothless. I smirked and shook my head as I climbed into Snowfire's saddle. "A flaming squirrel." The two of us took off once Fishlegs was settled down.

"Yep. I'd say he's making excuses," I said with a nod. Snowfire hummed in agreement before something shot past us. I held back a scream as a burst of fire hit us both, knocking us off of our dragons.

"Whoa, you saw that, right?" Hiccup glanced at me as we landed safely on the ground.

"Yeah, it was a bit hard to miss," I muttered crossly.

The two of us got up and hid behind a log, peering cautiously over it. What we saw next caught us both completely by surprise. A small looking dragon was crawling around in a clearing. It hid in a pile of rocks, large enough and yet small enough that it could hide in such a cramped space.

When we approached it warily I noticed that it looked almost like a Monstrous Nightmare. Only it's skull was pure white and it had less horns, aside from the one on it's nose. What caught my attention were it's scales. It looked orange and purple, vibrant and beautiful even from a distance.

"Hey there little guy." Hiccup kept his voice quiet so he wouldn't scare it off. "What are you?" He placed his hand on the rock near the little dragon. I watched in amazement as the little dragon growled and tried snapping it's jaws around Hiccup's hand. "Whoa!" Hiccup recoiled almost instantly. "Easy little fellow."

I leaned down as the little dragon looked at me curiously. "I've never seen anyone like you," I whispered. The little dragon suddenly squeaked and tried flying towards me. What surprised me more was how terrified the poor guy looked.

Toothless approached us both cautiously as the little dragon crooned at my touch. I was amazed at the fact that this wild dragon had approached me so easily. What made me so different from every other human here? Toothless gave one sniff of the dragon and let out a furious growl.

"You're not helping," Hiccup pointed out as the dragon backed away in fear. Once we got up we exchanged knowing looks. "You know, I think we've just discovered a new species," he said. Then Toothless suddenly approached us again and tried pushing Hiccup away. "Whoa, hey, Toothless, what has gotten into you?" he asked.

The dragon started walking around and brushed it's wing against the rock. "It looks like he might be hurt," I murmured thoughtfully. The dragon crooned as if agreeing with my statement. "Can you watch it for a moment? I think I know what to do," I suddenly told Hiccup.

Hiccup nodded and knelt down to comfort the dragon. Meanwhile I went off searching for the right herbs. I had pretty much memorized the herbs I used on Toothless' tail fin the first time we met. Though he wasn't able to recover his tail, Hiccup had said the herbs helped.

' _What is happening_?' Snowfire asked when she joined me.

"We found… I think it's a baby," I explained while sifting through the undergrowth. Thankfully the herbs underneath were still intact, despite the colder weather. Snowfire sniffed them curiously as I picked out which ones would work on wounds. "I'm not sure though; nothing like it has been described in the Book of Dragons," I put in.

' _What does it look like_?' I didn't miss the concern in her voice. I quickly explained what the dragon looked like, noticing how her irises grew smaller as she let out a growl. ' _That dragon is only a hatchling_ ,' she suddenly hissed.

"Oh come on, you call everyone hatchlings!" I muttered. Snowfire was quick to block my path and glared. "Let me through; it's hurt and needs help." Snowfire only stood her ground, to the point where I had to push my way past her.

Now that I thought about it, Toothless had acted the same way. Maybe something was wrong with the dragon. But I couldn't sit around and do nothing if it was hurt. Besides, the dragon hadn't done anything yet.

When I got back I noticed a tear in Hiccup's shirt. The little dragon was sniffing it's wing and chirped excitedly as I got closer.

"What happened to you?" I asked with a smirk.

"Little dragon, big claws," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

I knelt down just like Hiccup had and started working with the dragon. "Easy little guy," I reassured it. "This is gonna sting a little." I had to crush the herbs into a poultice so that they could be spread on the wing, which would hopefully heal fast. The dragon squeaked in surprise at the sudden touch and nearly snapped my hand off in the process. Hiccup pulled me back just in time. "Thanks," I gasped.

"No problem." Hiccup watched with interest as I managed to soothe the dragon and applied the poultice. Mentally I thanked my mom for teaching me these survival skills. "How'd you learn to do that?" he asked curiously.

"My mom taught me everything I know," I explained with a shrug. Once I was finished the dragon crooned happily and rubbed it's head against my hand. "I… I never realized how much I miss her." My voice dropped to a whisper.

"I-I know how you feel," he replied hesitantly. I looked at him in surprise until he explained, "I lost my mother when I was just a baby. I-I never had the chance to get to know her." By now the little dragon had fallen asleep in my arms.

"I'm sorry." I started rubbing the dragon's neck, careful not to wake it or hurt it. I never realized how lucky I was to have had a mother who cared for me so much.

"We should… probably head back," he suddenly murmured.

"Yeah, probably." The awkward silence only made things worse. Reluctantly Snowfire and Toothless had taken us back to the arena, where the others were already waiting for us.

...

"This is so exciting! It's a whole new species!" Fishlegs was literally shivering with excitement as the dragon crawled around the arena. For the most part it had gotten better and was more aware of it's surroundings.

"Doesn't look like a flaming squirrel to me," Tuffnut muttered.

"How often is a new species found?" Jacob suddenly chimed in.

"Not often," I replied with a shrug.

"We have no idea what it's capable of," Fishlegs added as he leaned down to pet it. The dragon only narrowed it's eyes and scurried away. "There's no telling what it can do!" Tuffnut than leaned down and looked at the dragon.

"Flame. Do it!" he tried ordering. The dragon let out a growl and suddenly bit his nose, latching itself on to him. Tuffnut flailed his arms while Ruffnut and I laughed at him. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" The dragon than turned it's head to look at Ruffnut and jumped onto her face, receiving the same reaction Tuffnut had shown seconds ago. He looked at his sister and started laughing as well.

"Hey, that is funny!" The dragon than jumped off of Ruffnut and landed on the ground.

"Come on guys," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes. "This is serious. We have to figure out what to do with him. He's hurt." Surprisingly the dragon leaped into my arms after he said that, crooning in contentment.

"He's hurt?" Tuffnut said while rubbing his nose.

"He's just really scared; he'll calm down," I reassured him while rubbing the dragon's neck.

"Uh, new species, remember? We don't actually know what he'll do," Fishlegs reminded us.

"Well, someone's gotta take him home," Astrid pointed out. That was when everyone turned and looked at me and Hiccup.

' _I would rather die than let that beast in my nest_!" Snowfire suddenly spat. The little dragon suddenly jumped out of my arms, realizing that Snowfire probably would do such a thing. Hiccup and I exchanged looks before he shrugged.

"Well, big guy, here's your somebody," Hiccup said once the dragon had jumped into his arms.

"Just let me know if he needs more of that ointment," I told him.

"That won't be a problem," he replied with a shrug.

"And why do I get the feeling that this _is_ going to be a problem?" I asked under my breath. Judging by the glare Toothless was giving him, this wasn't going to end well.

...

Later that night I sat on my bed with Snowfire peering at me from the wooden beam she was perched on. I wondered how Toothless was getting along with the new dragon we'd found. Hopefully they weren't putting up too much of an argument. Snowfire would've chewed me out if I brought it home.

' _I do not like that creature_ ,' Snowfire muttered crossly.

"Why not?" I asked as I looked at my journal. I kept a makeshift lantern at my bedside so that I could actually read. Seeing as lanterns hadn't been invented yet, I had to make something that worked similarly.

' _That creature is only a hatchling_ ,' she replied. ' _It's mother is extremely territorial, and will go after anyone who has it_.' I looked at Snowfire in surprise. I remembered hearing stories in my world of animals that would do the same.

"How do you know so much about them?" I was genuinely curious. It was obvious that Snowfire knew more about these creatures than she was letting on. She simply snorted and eyed me warily before dropping her determined gaze.

' _There are some things in this world that you are not meant to know_ ,' she told me. I was ready to argue when I thought better of it. Snowfire had already turned her head away, showing obvious signs that she was finished here.

With a sigh of frustration I looked back down at my journal. I winced when I noticed some of my earlier journal entries. Some of the things I'd written before meeting Hiccup were a bit dull and boring. I could remember how terrified I was waking up to this world. And of course Hiccup's reaction when I told him my story was priceless.

I shook my head and put out the flame, careful not to start a fire. Now that would have been a real disaster. Eventually I was finally able to sleep, but not without facing yet more nightmares. This was going to be a long night.

...

"Okay, Torch, let's figure out what you are," Hiccup said as everyone gathered in the arena. Thankfully no one had noticed how exhausted I was. My feet were rocking back and forth when Hiccup had told everyone what the new dragon's name was.

"This is so exciting! Documenting a whole knew species, learning all about it!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Wait, learning?" Tuffnut asked in confusion.

"No thanks," Ruffnut replied.

"There's nothing in the Book of Dragons that looks anything like him," Hiccup pointed out while looking through the Book of Dragons.

"We even get to determine what it's called." By now Fishlegs was hyperventilating with excitement. "That is…. That is a really big responsibility. I don't know if I'm ready for that!"

"I am!" Snotlout shouted. "I'm gonna name the snot out of it!" He quickly jumped in front of the dragon.

"Twenty inches for the wings," Astrid announced while measuring Torch's wings.

"That's a big wingspan," I practically mumbled. Hiccup gave me a look of concern before shaking his head. "Especially for a dragon his size."

"Big wing! Wing span! Big wingspan!" Snotlout suddenly started giving out names.

"May I have the honor of administrating the claw test?" Fishlegs asked. He picked up a scroll, unraveled it and held it in front of Torch. The dragon eyed it warily before slicing at it with his claws like it was nothing. "These talons… they're razor like."

"Than maybe he belongs in the Sharp Class," I suggested.

"Sharp claw. Razor feet. Razor-Sharp-Claw-Talon-Feet!" Snotlout was randomly spitting out names now. I already had enough of a headache, I really didn't need to deal with this.

"Is he even trying?" Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Wait, is he serious?" Tuffnut asked.

"You know what's next, don't you?" Fishlegs asked in an overly eager tone.

"No, not really." Hiccup watched him in amusement as Fishlegs walked over to a barrel full of fish.

"Only the single most important test that determines a dragon's reaction to eels," Fishlegs explained as he pulled out the creature in question. "The eel reaction test." Fishlegs held out the eel and watched as the other dragons backed away. He held the eel over Torch, and the little dragon wasted no time in devouring it. "He ate it!"

"Okay, than maybe he's a Mystery Class dragon." I eyed the other dragons warily. They did not look happy being in the same space as Torch.

"Eel Eater!" Snotlout yelled. "Oh come on, that's perfect!"

By now everyone was giving Snotlout weird looks. His random shouting was getting on everyone's nerves.

"Guys, has there ever been a dragon that was—" Hiccup stopped when he stood between me and Fishlegs.

"Never in recorded history," Fishlegs interrupted. "We're in uncharted waters, my friend." Hiccup knelt down to pat Torch's head once again.

"You hear that Torch? You're one of a kind," he said.

"Now if we can get him to fly," Fishlegs cut in.

' _He cannot fly because he is a hatchling_ ,' Snowfire snapped. I barely heard her voice at this point. Everything was kind of a blur right now. All I could do now was act like I was paying attention and hope that someone would fill me in later.

"Maybe if Torch saw Toothless fly," Hiccup began, ignoring what Snowfire had said. "Toothless, let's take a ride bud!" Toothless wasn't sitting far from the arena. But he didn't look pleased at all and was in no hurry to go anywhere. "Toothless!"

"So much for the dragon trainers!" Snotlout mocked him. He walked over to Hookfang's side. "We've got this." He got on Hookfang's back and Torch watched them curiously. "Watch and learn," he said. Hookfang was quick to take off, managing to beat up Snotlout in the process as he flew around the arena in circles. Then he flew past Toothless, who looked just as stubborn as Snowfire, right out of the arena. "Okay, your turn," Snotlout told him while trying to catch his breath. "But don't think you can live up to that."

Torch jumped and started walking around awkwardly in a circle.

"What's he doing?" Ruffnut asked.

"I think something's wrong," Astrid pointed out.

' _He is too young_!' Snowfire suddenly snarled.

"Maybe he can't fly," Hiccup murmured.

Sparks started to fly out of Torch's back as he ran in circles faster. The heat off of his back was surprisingly strong as it started to light up. Torch than began to lift off the ground as he looked like a sparkler twirling around the arena. It didn't take him long to land on the ground in circles. Torch was quick to jump back over to Hiccup.

"You are one incredible little dragon," he said.

"He kind of looks like a sparkler," I said with a shrug. Everyone except Jacob gave me strange looks at that comment. "Sorry, reference to my world."

One of the many things I missed from our world. Every year on the Fourth of July, mom would buy a pack of sparklers for us. Jacob and I would run around the backyard with them and try to perform tricks. I can still remember shouting like a crazy child when we were younger.

"Whoa, look at that burn mark," Ruffnut said as they looked down at where Torch had landed. Sure enough there was an odd looking swirl mark on the ground. It kind of reminded me of what you see at the top of Cinnabuns.

"Huh, and look at this burn mark," Tuffnut told her. He was showing off a freshly burned mark on his arm, and Ruffnut scowled in disgust at the sight.

"Did you see how it flew?" asked Fishlegs. "It spun like – like a typhoon!"

"And he came back, like a boomerang," Jacob added.

"And he came back like a boomerang," Astrid added.

"Hot spinner! Flaming-come backer!" Snotlout yelled out.

"No," Fishlegs said with a shake of his head. "The Typhoomerang."

"Typhoomerang?" Snotlout asked in a snort of disgust. "Nope, I don't get it." Both Astrid and I rolled our eyes at that.

...

"Are you okay?" It was the second time Hiccup had caught me nearly nodding off that day. Luckily this time we were alone – well, as alone as it could get with three dragons sitting around us. Snowfire stayed close to Toothless, who was still glaring at Torch. It seemed the two of them agreed with the fact that Torch didn't belong here.

"I'll be fine," I said in a hopefully reassuring tone. Hiccup just eyed me skeptically before I let out an irritated sigh. "Okay, maybe I'm not so fine," I muttered crossly.

"D-Did you have another nightmare?" I tried not to smirk when I noticed that Hiccup was blushing furiously again. Gobber had told me that he watched over me while I was out. But than another thought had crossed my mind.

"Wait, what do you mean by nightmares?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. This just kept getting more and more awkward as we walked on.

"I… may have heard you talking in your sleep," he replied sheepishly. I've noticed that when a situation got even worse Hiccup started rubbing his arm, as if that would make things better or easier. "Sorry!" He quickly braced himself, as if expecting me to punch him in the arm. All I did was roll my eyes.

"Please, don't apologize," I reassured him. "Look, there are some things about me that you probably shouldn't know," I added warily. My mind went back to the image of my father glaring down at me, and I shuddered at the memory. "Let's just say that before I woke up in this world, things weren't exactly easy for me."

Hiccup eyed me skeptically before leaving it at that. It wasn't that I didn't trust him. But, truthfully I was afraid of how he would react if I told him about my father. He was lucky to have a father who cared for him, even if Stoick didn't show it too often.

Thankfully we didn't say much else as we returned to our respected homes. Snowfire curled up on her stone slab, sleeping peacefully. I'd never felt more afraid to fall sleep than now. I wasn't ready to face another nightmare. But I knew that I would have to sleep eventually. The last thing I wanted was to pass out again in front of everyone.

' _Would you like to talk about it_?' Snowfire suddenly asked, sounding half-asleep. I looked at her in surprise before shaking my head. I wasn't even sure how long I had been staring at the ceiling until she spoke up.

"No, not really," I replied after biting the bottom of my lip. Snowfire narrowed her eyes when she finally looked up at me.

' _Something is troubling you, hatchling_ ,' she snapped. ' _Speak now, or it will only continue to haunt you_.'

"Snow, you really don't know what it's like," I began while continuing to bite the bottom of my lip. "I've had to live with that secret for most of my life, and I'm not in any hurry to tell anyone what he did." Tears stung my eyes as I tried to wipe them away. When did my life suddenly become such a sob story?

' _You speak of your father_?' Snowfire's question caught me by surprise. All I could do was nod as she let out an irritated sigh. _'If what you have said about him is true, than perhaps it is best to forget about it_.'

"I wish it were this simple," I murmured warily. I was relieved to find Jacob sitting on his steps when walking by the place. Jessica hadn't been seen since yesterday, and I was beginning to wonder if she'd been scared away by that snowstorm.

"You look more out of it than usual," Jacob said when he noticed me standing there. Snowfire stood protectively beside me, her eyes narrowed as she looked towards Sniper. "You've been having nightmares again, haven't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" I groaned as I sat down next to him. "Jacob, I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't tell anyone what happened. They'd never look at me the same, and I don't want anyone treating me differently."

"Talking about it would make things easier," he replied while looking at me thoughtfully. "I think Hiccup's just worried about you. The kid cares more than I'd like to admit."

I couldn't help but blush at that. The two of us had been spending more time together than I'd thought possible. I'd already promised myself that we would never be a 'thing', as Jacob had so eloquently put. But that didn't stop me from wishing things were different.

"I guess we share more in common than I realized," I murmured sheepishly.

' _The truth is always better than a lie_ ,' Snowfire put in, surprising us both.

"Even if the truth is cruel reality?" I glanced down at the ground, flinching as memories suddenly came rushing back. Jacob quickly wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and at once a shooting pain went through me. "I can't do this."

Before Jacob could say anything, I pushed him away and raced back towards my place. This time no one followed me. But that didn't mean anyone was watching me.

...

We were back in the arena the following morning. My mind was still working overtime to figure out what had happened last night. Jacob couldn't meet my eyes when I'd arrived after everyone else. I knew he felt responsible for what had happened, and guilt gnawed at my stomach.

Hiccup was standing beside Astrid while holding Torch in his arms when the dragon suddenly jumped down and approached me. They were too busy chatting to notice, and I couldn't help grinning sheepishly at the dragon's odd behavior.

"You did the right thing with Toothless," Astrid said reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll snap out of it." I looked at her in surprise before realizing I had missed half of their conversation.

"What happened with Toothless?" I asked sheepishly.

"I had to take him to the cove," Hiccup replied. The guilt in his voice suddenly made me feel guilty that I wasn't here sooner. "He was getting jealous of Torch, and…" He stopped himself from continuing as Torch let out a squeak.

"Something tells me there was more to it than that," I murmured, remembering what Snowfire had said the other day.

"What if Toothless doesn't snap out of it?" Snotlout suddenly asked, grinning to himself. "Than you wouldn't have a dragon. And if you don't have a dragon to ride than you can't be leader of the Dragon Academy."

"Then I would be in charge," I pointed out with a smug look. "Do you really want that?" Snotlout looked at me in disbelief before shaking his head.

"You guys would not believe what we just saw!" Tuffnut suddenly shouted as he and Ruffnut arrived on Barf and Belch.

"Excuse me, I believe we were having a power struggle here," Snotlout cut in.

"We are not having a power struggle," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"The whole forest, ultimate destruction," Tuffnut said, ignoring them both.

"It was beautiful. The whole thing was torched," Ruffnut added, grinning with excitement. Tuffnut exchanged a look with her before smiling in agreement.

Hiccup and I looked at Torch warily before glancing back at the twins. "Torched?" I asked. The little dragon in question squeaked in response.

"Show us," Hiccup added.

It didn't take us long to reach the forest in question. Hiccup was flying behind me on Snowfire with everyone else flying around us.

What we saw next made my stomach nearly drop. The whole forest looked like it had been destroyed. Trees were toppled over or had been burnt down. Among the destruction was a large spiral burnt mark in a large clearing, similar to the one Torch had made.

We landed in the clearing and stared at the sight in disbelief.

"Like we said, ultimate destruction," Ruffnut said.

"We've seen that burn mark before," Hiccup said after kneeling down to touch it.

' _I told you_ ,' Snowfire hissed. ' _You hatchlings are worse than the one you found_!'

"It's never been this big," I murmured. "You know what this means, don't you?" I glanced at Snowfire when I realized she was right. "Big burn mark means—"

"Big Typhoomerang," Hiccup finished for me. We all looked up to see the Typhoomerang in question. It was almost as big as Snowfire, and burning the whole forest down in fury.

"He looks really mad," Tuffnut said while admiring the large creature.

"It's not a he," Hiccup corrected. "That's Torch's mother."

"Torch really is just a baby," I whispered. Snowfire let out a huff of annoyance and folded her wings.

' _I already said that_ ,' she snapped. The dragon in question appeared on Fishlegs' shoulders.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen," I apologized while patting her on the shoulder. I should have known Snowfire was telling the truth. A dragon always seemed to know better than their rider.

"That's what Toothless was trying to tell me," Hiccup realized.

"She must have been looking for her baby for days," Astrid put in.

"Whoever gets in between the baby and that dragon is going to be fried," Fishlegs said, passing Torch over to Tuffnut.

"You take him." Tuffnut passed Torch over to his sister.

"I don't want it!"

"Leave it and let's get out of here!" Snotlout said, passing Torch over to Hiccup.

At that moment the bigger Typhoomerang saw Torch in Hiccup's arms and glared. Without warning she flew straight towards him. Hiccup was quick to put Torch down. "Now go home to your mama," he said while patting Torch's head. He looked up in time to see the mother firing at them. "Run!"

All of started running away as the dragon started chasing after us. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Torch following me. "Oh for the love of, why are you following me?" I demanded as Torch tried keeping up. "You guys go that way; I'll lead her to the forest!" I shouted as I veered to the left.

"Hiccup!" I turned just in time to see both Hiccup and the mother gaining on me. Astrid's call made me slow down just in time to see how furious the mother was.

"Oh please stop following us," Hiccup groaned when he spotted Torch not far behind.

Snowfire had managed to fly just above the mother dragon, a low growl forming in the back of her throat.

"You go on ahead, I'll see if I can keep her distracted," I suddenly said as Snowfire landed nearby. The mother dragon had spotted her as well and let out a screech of anger. Snowfire responded by firing a blast of ice at the dragon.

' _Leave this place now, outsider_!' she shouted.

"Take it easy; she's only worried about Torch," I told her as I climbed into the saddle. Snowfire only rolled her eyes and lifted into the air.

I looked around in time to see that the mother had spotted Toothless and was giving chase. It didn't take a genius to realize that Torch was with them. Hiccup had to make several evasive maneuvers in order to avoid the mother's wrath.

' _A mother dragon is always more territorial than any other_ ,' Snowfire explained as we followed.

"That doesn't explain why they were here in the first place," I muttered. Soon enough Hiccup managed to lead the mother into the sea stacks, using her size against her. It didn't take him long to make the mother crash land into the ground seconds later, groaning in shock from the impact. Snowfire landed just as Toothless had joined the mother.

"I hope we didn't hurt her," he murmured.

Torch got off of Toothless' saddle and jumped down to his mother. I watched in surprise as Torch nudged his mother gently with his muzzle. The mother turned her head slightly and looked at Torch in what I thought was hope.

Two other baby Typhoomerang's suddenly jumped off their mother's back. One was yellow and the other was a royal blue color. It was amazing to watch the two interact. They seemed so happy, crooning and chirping in happiness.

"We did a good job," Hiccup said while patting Toothless' head.

"Everyone's back where they belong," I put in as the mother took off. Torch peered over his mother's back and chirped along with his siblings. "Goodbye Torch!"

Then the mother started letting out a shower of sparks as she flew higher in the sky.

"We should get home," I murmured once they were gone.

Hiccup nodded in agreement and we both headed back home.

...

We were back in the village as I found myself back in my place with Snowfire resting beside me. She'd already eaten her fill and was now cleaning her wings while I looked down at my journal. One half was written in English, while the other half was written in Norse. Since Hiccup had taught me how to write, I'd pretty much been writing in another language. That way if anyone ever found it, they could only read half of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," I murmured after closing it.

' _Perhaps next time you will know better_ ,' Snowfire scolded me. ' _I did warn you that the dragon was just a hatchling_.' I didn't miss the smug look on her face. With a roll of my eyes I turned from the mirror and headed back to bed, humming the tune to _Be Still My Soul_.

"Well, at least I was able to get some sleep," I muttered.

I thought back to what we had seen earlier that day. The Typhoomerang had left a field of flowers where it flew off in a spark. It was amazing what dragons could do. And we were only just beginning to scratch the surface.

Communication between dragon and rider was also important. I had ignored Snowfire when she warned me of what Torch really was, and it nearly cost us our lives. Luckily though we were all safe now, and so were dragons. Maybe now we could finally get some peace and quiet.

* * *

 **AN: Woot, another chapter posted! Yep, I'm updating twice and ridiculously early as well XD I have work all day, so I wanted to get this posted beforehand. Anywho, onto review replies!**

 **The Silent Fury - Yep, I have an older sister. We get along now, but when we were younger we'd always fight. And lol, that was pretty funny, wasn't it? :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Indeed he does ;) I love throwing in some drama, especially when romance is involved :)**

 **Sil - Yeah, and that's not even the worst he's done. Fortunately I think the story cover is finally working... *knocks on wood* Hopefully it will stay the way I want it to stay now. Thanks for the advice though :)**

 **Guest - Thanks for reviewing all these chapters! And I'm not making any promises about her father... that part has kind of stuck through each version /:**


	17. In Dragons We Trust

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

" _Who knows how long I've been awake now? The shadows on my wall don't sleep, They keep calling me Beckoning... Who knows what's right? The lines keep getting thinner My age has never made me wise, But I keep pushing on and on and on and on There's nothing left to say now... I'm giving up..._ " - Nothing Left To Say, Imagine Dragons

* * *

It's always good to know who you can and can't trust as you get by in life. Trust is something that I've always had difficult dealing with. When I was younger I didn't trust anyone because of what my dad had done to me. Finally as I started middle school I began making friends.

But my life changed one day when I met Snowfire. She had risked her own life to save mine. I would never forget the moment we met. That was the day I woke up in this world, and my life took a turn for the better.

We were flying around the island of Berk as a group in the afternoon. Toothless flew on ahead as Hiccup fell through the air. He was getting closer and closer to the water, until suddenly Toothless swooped in and caught him.

"Nice catch bud!" Hiccup said as he grinned at Toothless. "A little close though," he added while looking back. Toothless than turned and joined us shortly after grumbling in annoyance. "Alright, your turn," Hiccup said to Fishlegs. "Jump!"

"But I don't want to jump," Fishlegs panicked.

"You have to believe she's going to catch you," I pointed out.

"It's a trust exercise," Hiccup added.

"I would like to do my trusting on the ground, thank you very much," Fishlegs fretted.

"Like this Chicken-legs," Snotlout muttered. I tried not to laugh as Snotlout fell off of Hookfang's neck. The Monstrous Nightmare continued flying, oblivious to the fact that his rider was falling to his death.

"Should we mention something to Hookfang?" Tuffnut asked.

"Let me sleep on it," Ruffnut replied.

Astrid than flew Stormfly closer to Hookfang, looking more annoyed than ever. "Hookfang, go get him!" she yelled. Hookfang looked at her in confusion until Snowfire rolled her eyes in annoyance.

' _Go already_!' she nearly shrieked. Hookfang finally looked down in time to see that his rider was about to slam into the ocean.

"Not feeling the trust!" Snotlout was shouting. Hookfang quickly dove in to catch him, barely missing slamming into the water down below. "Coming in too fast!" he cried as Hookfang began spiraling out of control. Eventually the two had finally begun to regain their footing, only to land nearby on the island. I winced when I realized who's house Hookfang had landed on. "Mildew!" The two of them quickly took off when the old man in question walked outside, scowling in disgust.

"You'll pay for this!" he shouted as a piece of wood hit his head.

"Oh something tells me we're going to hear about this," Hiccup said after frowning. I nodded in agreement as we flew off. Mildew was one of the worst Vikings I could think of right now. And to land on his house was like asking for the dragons to be banished.

 _'Are you certain I cannot bite his head off_?' Snowfire offered. The others smirked in agreement while Hiccup and I frowned. I patted Snowfire on the neck before shaking my head.

"No, we'll have to deal with this one on our own," I replied.

...

Later that evening, I found myself sitting on a sea stack with Snowfire beside me. I couldn't shake off the nightmares that were haunting me just a few nights ago. While I was finally able to get some decent sleep, that didn't mean that I'd forgotten those nightmares.

The fact that I kept seeing dad's face had continued haunting me. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. My mind kept going back to what he said during that one vision.

 _You are not the only one with this gift_. I found myself horrified with what my dad would do if he ever found me again. Or if he was even still alive. I never did find out whether or not he was alive.

' _You are worried, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire crooned in concern. She turned and looked at me with icy blue eyes. I locked gazes with her before finally looking away.

"Snow, I can't shake off the feeling that something is about to happen," I admitted. Guilt weighed down on my chest as I gave it more thought. Maybe I should have told Hiccup or someone about my father. But I didn't want to know what they would say to his story.

' _Perhaps there is more to that feeling than you realize_ ,' she suggested. I only shrugged and tried ignoring it. Glancing over my shoulder I noticed something odd in the distance. A lean figure was wandering through the village, walking from house to house. Snowfire let out a growl when she spotted the figure as well.

"Easy, we don't know if it's a threat," I whispered while pushing her away. I squinted my eyes so that I could see who the figure was. My mouth nearly dropped when I saw the figure was Mildew. Snowfire's growl grew louder when she recognized his scent, or I should say stench.

' _What is that lowly coward up to now_?' she questioned as he scurried over to Hiccup's house. I was ready to answer until I saw what Mildew was holding. A pair of dirty looking boots dangled limply from his hands.

"Something tells me it's nothing good," I muttered crossly. "We'd better tell the others what he did."

Unfortunately by the time morning came my mind was too fuzzy to remember what had happened. I hadn't realized until than that I had fallen asleep. I woke up outside, with Snowfire curled up around me and Spikes sleeping in her saddle. It didn't take a genius to know that something was wrong.

I walked outside to find that most people were gathered in the arena. A Zippleback was sleeping in the center of the arena, with a pile of boots around it. My eyes narrowed thoughtfully as I tried remembering what was so important about them.

"How are we supposed to do any work around this weather without boots?" asked a random Viking. Snowfire let out an irritated growl as she nudged me forward. All I did was look at her curiously until someone else spoke up.

"This is outrageous!"

"How long until something is done about those dragons, Stoick?" Mildew was standing in the middle of the small crowd, glaring at the sleeping Zippleback. He quickly pushed his way through the crowd and approached the chief in question. "How much more can we stand?" By now more and more Vikings were complaining about their lack of boots.

"Listen to yourselves; 'my feet are cold,'" Gobber said in a mocking tone. "We're Vikings! Everything's cold! I'll fix your boots and you'll be back to work in no time." I couldn't help but smirk at his comment. Gobber always had a way with words.

"You all heard Gobber," Stoick told them as the Vikings groaned in annoyance. "You'll get your boots back as good as new." And knowing Gobber he'd have a few extra designs in hand. Back in my world boots were often personalized or styled so that they were the latest 'in fashion'.

"That's it?" Mildew demanded, looking more surprised than anything else. "No consequences for the dragons?" I eyed him suspiciously as he glared back at me. Clearly Mildew held more than just a grudge against the dragons.

"They took our boots, Mildew," Stoick replied with a shrug. It really wasn't a big deal, given the circumstances. I've seen humans do far worse things than a dragon could ever do to us. "The world isn't coming to an end."

"Oh, don't be too sure!" Mildew snapped. "Dragons are wild and unpredictable beasts. There's no telling what they'll do behind our sleeping backs." My eyes widened when he mentioned sleeping backs. I thought back to what had happened the night before, but couldn't form the memory fast enough. All I could do was glare at him.

"It's not as if the dragons are doing this on purpose," I pointed out. Snowfire crooned in agreement as she stood next to me, glaring at Mildew the entire time.

"Actually, Mildew does have a point," Hiccup suddenly said. Mildew and I stared at Hiccup as if he had grown wings.

"What?" we asked at the same time.

"Dragons are wild animals," he explained with a shrug. "And they need us to keep an eye on them." He eyed the Hideous Zippleback before looking back at us. "And rest assured, we will do just that." As he said that the Zippleback in question woke up and started to walk away, irritated with all of the noise we were making. Hiccup narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of the dragon's footprints.

...

Hiccup had gathered all of us at the abandoned catapult shortly after to discuss his plans. My mind was still churning in confusion as I tried thinking of what had happened the night before. I wish I could remember what had happened. But every time I tried the memory got fuzzy again.

"We're going on night patrols," Hiccup announced.

"Night patrol, I love it!" Tuffnut said with a grin. Then a blank look crossed his face. "What's that?"

"It's where you patrol at night to keep an eye on the dragons," I replied while thinking of a book series I used to read as a kid. I couldn't help but smile as I thought back to a series about cats living out in the wild. Ah happy memories.

Jacob only grinned back at me, obviously knowing what I was thinking.

"It's just to make sure the dragons don't get blamed for anything else," Hiccup put in.

"Have you cleared this with your parents?" asked Fishlegs. "Because some of us not be allowed outside after a certain hour." He pressed his fingers together as the others glared at him.

"Not allowed, or afraid?" Snotlout started snickering until Astrid punched him in the arm.

"Hey, things happen in the dark," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Guys, we have to do this," I cut in.

"You heard Mildew," Hiccup added. "He wants the dragons banished."

"Permission to shoot first, ask questions later," Ruffnut said while saluting.

"Permission to skip questions," Tuffnut put in while slapping away his sister's hand.

"We're just patrolling!" Hiccup snapped. "Nobody is shooting anyone!" It was obvious that the twins had him exasperated. But I knew that something else was bothering him, and that same something was bothering me.

"I have a question," Tuffnut muttered and raised his hand. "What's the fun in that?"

"It's not supposed to be fun," Astrid said with a smirk. "It was Hiccup's idea."

"Exactly!" Hiccup said with a grin. Than he realized what she said and glared. I couldn't help but smirk when I noticed that he was blushing once again. "Wait, what?" By now we were both laughing as he ruffled the back of his hair in embarrassment.

...

"For the record, this has to be the worst name you could come up with," I muttered under my breath.

It was later that night we were wandering the island checking on the dragons. Hiccup had the brilliant idea of naming our group Dragon United Monitoring Brigade, otherwise known as DUMB. Honestly, I would prefer anything over that. Even SHIELD from the Marvel comics had a better Acronym. To make matters worse we were wearing sashes with the letters printed on them.

"Hey, you try coming up with something good at the last second," he retorted. I simply rolled my eyes and Snowfire flew on ahead. We were both riding our dragons over the village to get a higher vantage point.

"All I'm saying is, these sashes are probably the worst things I've ever had to wear." And that was saying a lot, considering my mom used to make me wear dresses all the time when I was younger. Hiccup just gave me a look before flying Toothless ahead.

"Well, at least we can let Mildew will be happy to know that dragons sleep at night," he muttered.

' _Mildew will not be happy until we are banished_ ,' Snowfire pointed out.

"Luckily that isn't going to happen." I eyed Hiccup skeptically before shaking my head.

...

It was the following morning when we all reached the Great Hall for breakfast. Last night had pretty much gone without a hitch. Other than a few of the teens bickering over how terrible the name was, it seemed our dragon problems were fine.

That was until we reached the Great Hall itself. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw that the columns had deep scratch marks on them. Some of the tables had been scratched as well, and it looked to me like the scratch marks belonged to dragons.

"Who could've done such a terrible thing?" Stoick demanded as he took in the damage. I already had one name in mind. But I dared not say it out loud. Something told me that the Vikings were already pissed off enough with what had happened here.

"Oh, it looks like a dragon to me," Fishlegs replied in an all-too-eager tone.

I tried not to facepalm when Fishlegs said that. Jacob was only shaking his head in disbelief.

"We don't know that for sure, Fishlegs," Hiccup said with a glare.

"Sure we do!" Fishlegs leaned forward and rubbed his fingers along the scratch mark. "Look at these claw marks. It's obviously a Monstrous Nightmare. The spacing of the talons is dead on—" Fishlegs stopped himself short when he realized what he was doing.

"But how could the dragons do this?" Astrid asked. "We had every dragon accounted for, right?" The twins exchanged looks like Snotlout looked a bit nervous.

"When you say 'at all times', and 'every dragon'… What exactly do you mean?" he asked. I held back a groan of annoyance while Hiccup slapped his head.

"Okay, what happened, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, I was questioning a suspect, who had no respect for the sash," Snotlout started as he glared at Gobber.

"I think I'll show no respect for a sash that says 'DUMB'," Gobber replied with a smirk.

"We have got to change that name," I muttered with a shake of my head.

"Anyways, as I was question said suspect," Snotlout continued with a roll of his eyes, "Hookfang may have – and I'm not saying he did – but it is possible he may have wandered off for a few…." Snotlout paused as if searching for help.

"Seconds?" Ruffnut suggested.

"Minutes?" Tuffnut guessed.

Snotlout was quiet for a few minutes before finally speaking up again. "… hours," he finished. Everyone groaned at that.

"That's way longer than minutes," Tuffnut complained.

"Oh no," a gasp sounded from the entrance. We all turned and glared as Mildew walked in, holding on to Fungus. "The Great Hall, oh so many memories. My three weddings, their three funerals… oh the funerals." I swallowed back the vile in my throat when his voice was full of bliss.

"A dragon must've gone on a rampage," Gobber said. "I hate to say it, Stoick, but you're going to have to—"

"I know what has to be done, Gobber," Stoick snapped.

"So do I!" Mildew put in.

"Starting tonight and every night, I want those dragons put in the academy, locked up and and under keep," Stoick ordered.

"What, that's it?" Mildew nearly gasped. He truly sounded outraged as he shot us all a glare. "Look at what they did! And I'm willing to bet that girl is behind all of this, controlling the beasts like she does." I was ready to punch the living crap out of the guy when he pointed his staff at my face.

"This doesn't make any sense," Hiccup argued after glaring at Mildew. "A dragon wouldn't come in and destroy the place. I mean, none of the food was taken." He gestured towards the table where plates of food were still intact.

"I don't know why dragons do what they do, but I'm not letting them cause anymore damage," Stoick told him as the three adults left the Great Hall. A sudden uneasiness washed over me once they were gone.

"Question, why does Mildew hate Alex so much?" Tuffnut suddenly asked. I hadn't noticed until now that I was rubbing my arm up and down.

"Maybe because she's a red-head?" Snotlout suggested with a shrug.

To which Astrid actually punched him in the arm, and I gave her a thankful look. I had no idea why Mildew hated me so much. And I wasn't in any hurry to find out.

...

' _I will not be put in a cage_ ,' Snowfire hissed when we reached the arena. I looked down at the ground in shame, realizing that she had never known the life of a caged dragon. It was early the following morning, and everyone else had put their dragons in cages moments ago.

"I'm sorry," I murmured while keeping my hand on her shoulder. It was hard knowing that something could have been done to stop this. Snowfire brushed her muzzle against my hand before backing away from the pens.

' _No human will dare lock me in that pitiful excuse for a cage_ ,' she suddenly snapped. Everyone looked at us in concern as the air around us suddenly got colder. White Terrors were known for regulating the temperature around them. Unfortunately for me, this happened to be one of those moments.

"Snowfire please," I begged as she made things worse.

"Calm your dragon!" Stoick ordered. I looked over my shoulder, half embarrassed and half angry with him for shouting. Gobber stood next to him arms folded and concern written across his face.

"Easy." I placed a hand on her shoulder once more, and finally Snowfire had calmed down enough to realize what she was doing. Thankfully the temperature had returned to normal as she locked gazes with me. "I know this isn't easy," I added in a whisper.

"I just don't think it's the dragons that wrecked the Great Hall," Hiccup said once things had quieted down.

"None of us wants to believe it, Hiccup," Astrid reminded him. "But you saw the proof."

"What proof?" Hiccup looked at Astrid. "You saw the prints; they were supposed to be made by a Zippleback, but they're no deeper than mine! Look at these." He gestured to a set of Zippleback prints on the snow. They were twice as deep as the ones we had seen earlier. "I could lie down in them!"

"Well, there could be a good reason the dragon left shallow footprints," Fishlegs replied.

"Like, hello!" Ruffnut said in an obnoxious voice, "it was trying to be sneaky!"

"Okay, what about the Great Hall?" Astrid asked as she brushed her bangs away from her face. Before she could ask anything else, Barf and Belch started to argue, and Hookfang roared at them. I tried not to laugh as Hookfang engulfed himself in flames.

"Snotlout, would you do something about him, please? We're trying to think," Hiccup muttered.

"Yeah, I gave up on thinking," Tuffnut said with a shrug. "Best idea I ever made."

"Snotlout?" Hiccup finally begged.

"I'm not the boss of him," Snotlout retorted. "He always does that when he's angry."

Hiccup looked at Snotlout before noticing that his left foot had a scorch mark on the ground from the flames. "That's how I can explain the Great Hall. I've got to tell dad!" He got onto Toothless and took off.

I exchanged an uneasy look with Jacob before letting out a sigh of frustration. "I guess I'd better go after him," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

The village was oddly peaceful as we got back. I spotted Toothless standing outside the Armory and landed beside him. The Night Fury didn't look happy, and suddenly Snowfire let out a growl as well. The hair along my arms started to stand on end when I realized something wasn't right.

' _I smell something strange in the air_ ,' Snowfire spat. She quickly bounded over to the Armory, and Toothless followed shortly after with me trailing behind them. It didn't take me long to notice that she was right about that strange scent.

I couldn't exactly place how I recognized it. Toothless was crooning in concern as I opened the door warily. Boxes were stacked together with weapons hidden inside. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary, aside from the strange scent.

"Wait, I know that smell." I leaned down and rubbed one of the barrels nearby carefully. My eyes widened when I felt liquid between my fingers. And not just any liquid. It was extremely flammable stuff that was still used in the modern world.

' _Out, get out now_!' I barely had enough time as a spark ignited the flammable fluid. Snowfire shielded me just in time from the heat while Toothless jumped out of the building. The ground suddenly started trembling as a massive explosion followed.

My ears were still ringing when the intense heat nearly penetrated Snowfire's wings. I wasn't even sure how she could protect herself from this heat. All I could feel now was a piercing pain as the sound began to die down, followed by the sound of falling debris.

"Toothless?" Hiccup's voice was muffled by Snowfire's wings. Finally she lifted them as the flames started to dwindle down. I looked around in horror to see that the Armory was completely destroyed. Toothless stood nearby, staring at us both with wide, concerned eyes.

"It was her!" one of the Vikings suddenly shouted. "She set the Armory on fire! I saw that girl enter the Armory with the two dragons!" Everyone started glaring at us as he pointed an accusing finger. "Next thing you know, the Armory is up in flames!"

"Alex?" Hiccup dropped the bucket he was holding. Snowfire let out another fierce snarl and wrapped her tail protectively around me. I hadn't realized until now that my arms were covered in burn marks. The others had finally gathered after seeing the damage that was done.

"Every one of our weapons, gone!" Stoick exclaimed. Gobber knelt down and picked up a bent sword, the only weapon to survive.

"Prudence! Poor thing." Gobber sniffed as he marveled at the former weapon. "I'm so sorry you didn't live a long, bloody life," he said. He threw it to the ground shortly after.

"She didn't have to die, Gobber," Mildew said. "That girl has left us totally defenseless! She and her dragon are nothing but a curse!" Soon the other Vikings were muttering in agreement. Snowfire's growls only got worse, causing a few to step back out of fear of getting attacked.

I couldn't even speak at this point. All I could do was look at Hiccup and the others desperately, hoping they would understand this wasn't my fault.

"Alex wouldn't do something like that!" Jacob protested as he ran over to join us. "I've known her for most of my life, you have to believe me!"

"Dad, you know Alex wouldn't do this, and neither would Toothless!" Hiccup tried grabbing Stoick by the arm, but his father only shook him off angrily.

"Listen to your boy, Stoick," Mildew sneered. "That's what got us into this mess. He trusted that wretch and led her to us. Now thanks to her we're all doomed! This is what happens when you don't keep those beasts locked up."

"Why do you hate her so much?" Jacob demanded, his voice colder than I could've imagined. "What has she ever done to you?"

Mildew only glared back, hatred burning in his eyes as he looked pointedly at me.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he glared at Mildew. "What did you say?" he demanded.

"Sandy!" Gobber had found another destroyed sword. "I guess your throat-slicing days are over!"

"These dragons have caused too much damage," Stoick announced. I felt my stomach flip when he looked at me. "It's no longer safe to have them, or you on Berk. I want them gone."

"What?" Hiccup's voice was full of disbelief. My mind was still trying to register what Stoick just said. It was like a knife had been thrown at me.

"Finally!" Mildew jumped with joy when he realized that he had won.

"Round them up, and take them to Dragon Island," Stoick ordered. "By the end of the day tomorrow, there will be no more dragons on Berk! And the same goes for you." I just stared at Stoick in disbelief as the other riders gasped at Stoick's announcement.

"What a glorious day that will be," Mildew said admirably. "Party at my house!" he shouted before walking over to Hiccup. "Don't forget boy, once you drop them off you'll be fixing my roof," he added with a sly grin.

"This is wrong," Hiccup said with a shake of his head.

' _I will rip his throat out_!' Snowfire snarled. The venom in her voice made me flinch. ' _He will suffer for this_.'

I rested my hand on her shoulder, still unable to find my voice. Just when I thought I had found my place in the world, it was torn away from me. I didn't think this night could get any worse.

"Why didn't you stand up for yourself?" Jacob demanded when the crowd had dispersed.

"Because, maybe Stoick is right," I murmured, looking down at the ground and avoiding his eyes. "Maybe I am the reason dragons keep appearing on the island. I don't know."

I couldn't meet his eyes as shame crawled through me. After what just happened, it was a high possibility.

"That's your problem, Alex," he sighed in frustration while kicking at the dirt. "You refuse to stand up for yourself, and let others walk all over you."

His words cut through me like a knife. I knew that he was right, and that was what hurt the most. All of my life I'd let people walk over me, and I never did anything to stop them.

...

Early the next morning found us headed towards Dragon Island, where the others would drop off their dragons. I wasn't even sure where I would go. My heart felt like it had been ripped in two when I realized the consequences of Stoick's words. Hiccup had spent most of the trip by my side while we were on the way there. I barely said a word, but his presence was oddly the most comfort I'd felt all day.

"I'm going to miss you, Stormfly," Astrid whispered after she took off Stormfly's saddle. The Nadder crooned in confusion and nudged her as she gave Stormfly a final hug. Meanwhile the twins were hugging Barf and Belch's heads, each taking a turn as Fishlegs placed a pile of rocks beside Meatlug.

"Okay Meatlug, there's plenty of rocks here in case you get hungry… and don't eat any limestone. You know it doesn't agree with you." He sniffed and held back his tears as Meatlug rolled on to her side.

"Be strong buddy," Snotlout said to Hookfang. Surprisingly he actually hugged Hookfang's snout, showing obvious signs of affection. "I know you're gonna miss me." Hookfang suddenly started chasing after a bird that flew past them. "Okay… He's crying on the inside!"

The others turned just in time to see Hiccup and I standing together. I never realized how much I would miss these people until now. Truthfully it was mostly Hiccup I would miss, though I would never say that out loud, especially with everyone watching us.

"I… I don't know what to say," he admitted guiltily.

"Well," I began when I finally found my voice, "that makes two of us."

"Well," I began when I finally found my voice, "that makes two of us."

"Look, I know that the whole Armory thing wasn't your fault," he suddenly said while taking off Toothless' saddle. The Night Fury gave him a questioning look as he returned to my side. "I'm going to find out what really happened."

"Hiccup, even if you could prove my innocence, do you really think the others would believe you?" I asked, my voice suddenly becoming bitter. In my heart I knew the island of Berk would never truly accept me. To them I was too different, too out there to belong. Mildew had already proven that I didn't belong.

"I think Mildew is the one who set the Armory on fire." I looked at Hiccup in surprise when he said that.

"That's a, pretty serious accusation," Astrid pointed out. I didn't miss the glare she was giving me.

"Besides, if anything it's her fault we had to take the dragons here," Snotlout added. Snowfire let out another snarl that sent Snotlout running for the other side of the beach. She grunted in satisfaction once he was far enough away.

"We'll be back, I promise," Hiccup said, ignoring the others. "Just, please keep an eye on the dragons." I glanced over my shoulder to where Toothless and the others were waiting before nodding.

"I suppose that's fair enough," I murmured.

Hiccup just gave me a sad look before heading back to the waiting ships. I was taken completely by surprise when he suddenly turned and gave me a hug. I couldn't hide the blush as I hugged him back. Hopefully this wouldn't be goodbye, forever at least. All I could do now was hope that Hiccup and the others would find proof that this wasn't the dragons' fault, or mine.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for updating so early. Thought I'd post now since we'll probably be gone for most of the day. There's something in our area called Christkindlmarkt. It's a really cool Christmas-themed market, which originally took place in Germany. You're more than welcome to look up the meaning behind it ;)  
**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - I might do that series separately. I'm not sure yet, it depends on how the second series goes. I plan on working on Defenders of Berk as well :) And I might just write a story based off of Snowfire to help alleviate any confusion. It would be fun to write about :D**

 **The Silent Fury - You'll have to keep reading to find out ;) I love keeping my readers in the dark!**

 **Sil - Hehe, thanks ;) I do too. Snotlout definitely deserves a good punch or two.**


	18. Alvin & The Outcasts

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

" _And how can you say that your truth is better than ours? Shoulder to shoulder, now brother, we carry no arms, And the blind man sleeps in the doorway his home If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy I could have won..._ " - I Gave You All, Mumford and Sons

* * *

" _There's an old Viking saying: When your friends are roasting on a spit, you're the one who feels the fire_ …"

The dragons on Dragon Island were getting restless. I watched as they tried looking for something to do or looked for their riders. Hookfang was the only one who seemed to care less that something was wrong. Snowfire had stayed with me and Toothless during our stay here.

Life here had been pretty boring. Only a couple of days had passed and I was already beginning to regret my decision to stay. Snowfire had argued that I promised I would stay. But I knew that the longer I stayed here, the worse it would get.

"I can't stand it!" I suddenly shouted as Stormfly brought me another fish. She had pretty much stayed in this general area, and was getting bored with doing nothing. I couldn't blame her for trying to find something that kept her doing. And apparently catching fish for me was good enough. "Thanks girl," I murmured while rubbing her muzzle.

Stormfly crooned in happiness before running off to chase a bird. Toothless quickly snatched up the fish before resting his muzzle on my leg. Meanwhile Barf and Belch were somewhere in the forest nearby. I hadn't seen them since the Vikings had left. Hookfang was off somewhere chasing animals with his heart's content. And Meatlug… well, she hadn't left her spot since the day the Vikings left.

Jacob's words still left a burning image in the back of my mind. I couldn't forget what he had told me the night before we'd left for this island. Yes, I refused to stand up for myself. Maybe I was a coward for not saying anything. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was partially responsible. Whatever Mildew held against me went against the dragons as well, and I wasn't going to stand for that.

' _Why are you so angry_?' Snowfire asked. She eyed me with concern as I leaned against a boulder with my arms folded. ' _Are you worried about that hatchling_?' I stared at her in disbelief before scratching Toothless' chin. The Night Fury purred in contentment, happy to get some attention.

"No…" I stopped and looked down at the ash-covered ground. "Maybe… yes." I sighed and finally leaned my head against the boulder. "Would it be weird to say that I actually like him?" Snowfire hummed in amusement. I thought back to when I'd had feelings for Jacob. Those feelings had long since passed when we arrived in this world.

' _Of course not_ ,' she replied. ' _Admitting your feelings will make your life easier_.' I didn't bother hiding the blush that followed. Maybe she was right about that. But it didn't make things any easier.

I decided to start exploring the island while passing the time. It was early in the morning, and a mist had formed around the island. For some reason Dragon Island was always covered in mist. Even with the Red Death gone it still had an eerie feeling to me.

The island itself was covered in mostly ash and dead trees. I'd noticed a few tufts of grass-like plants growing between rocks here and there. Smaller Terrible Terrors were flying through the sparse trees as I walked by. I spotted Hookfang trying to sun himself despite the fact that he was in the shade. With a roll of my eyes I simply walked past him.

What I saw next made me stop in my tracks. A creature with a giant, worm-like body turned and stared at me. It's head resembled that of a Typhoomerang, though it's jaw was oddly smooth like Snowfire's. It had short fins under it's chin that made it look like the dragon had a beard. What really surprised me though were it's huge wingspan. It had hook-like claws at the end of it's wings that it used to stay on the ground.

I'd only seen this creature in the Book of Dragons, once. It let out a fierce growl before lowering it's head. The dragon was known as a Timberjack, fiercely territorial and quick to anger. But to my surprise the Timberjack didn't seem aggressive. Instead it gave me a wary sniff before watching me intensely.

"What are you… doing?" I asked nervously as I reached out my hand. The Timberjack simply growled once again before brushing my hand with it's muzzle. I just stared at the creature in awe as it roared and took off, flying away from the island. Once the dragon was gone I remained where I was standing.

What the hell just happened? I thought back to how much Torch the Typhoomerang followed me around. And Spikes had easily gotten along with me as well. This wasn't something that happened to normal people. Then again I never considered myself to be normal.

I smirked at the thought and shook my head. Well, I guess this meant I was going insane. I don't recall Hiccup ever mentioning there being a Timberjack on Dragon Island either. Maybe my boredom had finally gotten the better of me and my imagination was just trying to keep me sane.

Once I got back to the beach I noticed that Toothless was staring longingly at the ocean. Snowfire must have taken off to catch more fish with the others. I let out a sigh, still slightly shaken from my earlier experience and sat down cross-legged on the pebbly beach.

"So, think that the others managed to convince Stoick it wasn't me?" I rested my chin in my hands as Toothless turned and made a crooning noise. His eyes were round with worry as he turned to stare at me. "Something wrong?" I eyed Toothless warily as he shifted his gaze back to the ocean.

Clearly something was bothering him. And maybe it was time to figure out what that something was.

...

"For those of you who haven't figured it out, I am the one and only Alvin the Treacherous." The man with an unruly black beard sneered at the group of Vikings captured on the beach. "And let me be clear, that name was earned."

"Alvin?" Tuffnut repeated with a scoff, much to the amusement of his sister. "How'd he earn that?"

"Your leader abandoned you, but Stoick doesn't concern me. I'm not here for him," Alvin reassured them. "I want the Dragon Conqueror, and that girl you took in."

"Say goodbye to Hiccup," Mildew said to Astrid with a smirk. "Alvin—"

Astrid stopped him before he could continue by elbowing him in the face. She was quick to catch him as he started falling. "My grandfather's frail, he needs his nap," she explained with an innocent smile. Alvin eyed her suspiciously, but he walked away, and she dropped Mildew once he was gone.

"Like I said," Alvin continued, "tell me who the Dragon Conqueror is, and give me the girl, and I might let you all go free."

"A Conqueror?" Snotlout scoffed. "I uh… might not know much about the girl you're talking about, but I'll show you a conqueror!" Snotlout took out his club and started charging at Alvin. But the leader of the Outcasts turned and glared. Snotlout stopped in his tracks and suddenly handed him the club. "For you, sir." Ruffnut shook her head in disgust while Tuffnut facepalmed.

"Well, you better check your trousers, son," Alvin told him while shoving Snotlout aside. "I think you soiled yourself."

"What would he want with Alex?" Jacob whispered, his voice wary as he stood between Fishlegs and Astrid.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything good," Astrid whispered back.

She suddenly threw her battle axe at Alvin, hoping that she could end this before it could get worse. But instead Alvin caught it and tsked his tongue.

"Will you look at that?" he asked while marveling at the weapon. "It's me old hatchet! I was wondering when I'd get it back."

"Trying to kill Alvin the Treacherous?" Savage grabbed Astrid by the arm and threw her onto the platform that Alvin was standing on. "You're not as smart as you look, lass." Tell me where the Dragon Conqueror is, and that girl, eh?" Then Alvin pulled her ponytail and scowled. "Tell me!"

"Leave her alone!" Hiccup suddenly spoke up. He climbed out of his hiding place and glared at Alvin. Whatever Alvin wanted with Alex couldn't be anything good. But he wasn't going to let this man hurt Astrid or the others, not if he could stop them.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried when she realized what he was doing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm the Dragon Conqueror," Hiccup announced. Alvin just stared at him in disbelief before laughing his head off. Hiccup's fists clenched when he realized why Alvin was laughing. No one expected a scrawny looking kid like him to hold such a title.

"You?" he asked after catching his breath. "Stoick's little embarrassment?"

"I'm the one who drove the dragons away from Berk," he explained. It took a lot of courage to speak up now. He knew just how dangerous Alvin was now. "Look around, you don't see any dragons around here, do you?"

Alvin looked at the sky as if to see whether or not Hiccup was right. And sure enough there were no dragons in sight. Hiccup gave a faint nod to Astrid, who nodded back, though still had a look of confusion in her eyes.

"It's true," she suddenly spoke up. "All of the dragons are afraid of him. He even conquered a Night Fury." Alvin suddenly drew out his sword and pressed it against Astrid's neck. She held back the sudden fear of what he might do next.

"Don't try me, lass," he threatened. "I've heard the tales of a girl riding a White Terror. No mortal has ever dared try such a thing."

"Let me show you that we're telling the truth," Hiccup said after taking a deep breath. Whoever had told Alvin about Snowfire was already likely long gone. He didn't want to think that someone on the island had told the Outcast's leader. "Take me to Dragon Island."

"Fine," Alvin muttered after giving his request some thought. "You lot stay here. The rest of us are taking a trip to Dragon Island, with the so called Dragon Conqueror."

"What about the girl, Alvin?" Savage asked. Alvin smirked before shoving Hiccup towards one of their ships.

"Knowing this boy he'll lead us right to her." Hiccup glanced over his shoulder as they left the beach. That was exactly what he hoped for. Knowing Toothless he would warn the others of the oncoming threat, if all went according to plan.

Once the group had left an eerie silence followed. Astrid had been thinking of what Hiccup said. He spent a lot of his time with Toothless, but she knew that he also spent most of his time with Alex. Before he had taken down the Red Death she didn't think much of him. But now, it was like a sudden surge of jealousy coursed through her.

She hadn't realized how much she _liked_ Hiccup. He was so much more than just a scrawny boy who could barely lift an axe. Because of him and Alex there was peace between dragons and humans, for now. If Alvin got a hold of the Book of Dragons, it could start an all out war.

Suddenly, two of the Outcasts standing guard were knocked to the ground unconscious. Another Outcast turned around just in time to get knocked out by Stoick, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Stoick let out a sigh of satisfaction before turning to face the teens.

"Where's Alvin?" he demanded.

"He took Hiccup," Astrid replied.

"What?" Stoick's eyes grew wide with horror.

"He gave himself up," Astrid explained, her voice suddenly growing cold. "They're on their way to Dragon Island. Alvin mentioned something about needing Alex as well." She hadn't realized until now that her fists were clenched, to the point where her nails were crawling blood.

"We need to find them before this gets out of hand," Stoick said. Astrid's eyes narrowed in confusion before she nodded in agreement. Find Hiccup before they reached Dragon Island. That didn't sound like too much of a challenge. But she knew he had more than one reason to get back to Dragon Island, and Hiccup's determination would always get the better of him.

...

"I'm getting worried," I muttered after trying to offer Toothless some fish. Once again the Night Fury turned my offer down, growling as he stared off into the distance. "He's been standing there for hours. Hasn't even budged."

' _I can sense that something is not right_ ,' Snowfire replied. I looked at her in concern before shaking my head. Dragons seemed to have some kind of sixth sense. I wasn't even sure what to call it; it was like they could sense when danger was approaching or something.

"So, you think this 'danger' has something to do with what's been happening?" I asked warily. With all due respect to Berk, I really did want to leave as soon as possible. It was obvious I had no place there what with everything Mildew and the others had said.

' _Unfortunately, it is something far worse_.' Before I could ask what she meant by that, Snowfire inclined her head towards the ocean. My eyes narrowed at once when I saw what she was looking at. A ship was headed in our direction. Whether or not it was a Berk ship, I didn't care. I just knew that it wasn't safe around here anymore.

"Come on, let's go before they see us." I got up and tried moving Toothless out of the way, but he refused to budge, instead giving a growl of annoyance and shaking me off. "Look, I promised Hiccup I wouldn't let anything happen to you," I muttered crossly.

Toothless just turned to look at me before locking eyes with mine. We stood there in awkward silence until he dipped his head in understanding. I held back a sigh of relief as Toothless and the other dragons followed us further into the burnt forest.

I stopped far enough away so that I could peer over the boulder we hid beneath. Toothless' eyes widened with recognition as if he picked up something familiar in the air. I was ready to stop him when I saw a familiar figure standing on the beach.

' _Those are different humans_ ,' Snowfire hissed. Her pupils suddenly grew small as a look of sheer anger crossed her face. ' _Dragon killers_!' Snowfire reacted faster than my mind could process what just happened. She lunged forward and grabbed hold of the nearest invader, tossing him aside like a rag doll.

"Snowfire?" Hiccup's voice was full of confusion until he spotted Toothless standing not far away.

"So, the stories are true!" A man with a tangled looking black beard laughed as Snowfire let out a roar of defiance. "And here I thought you were just a legend."

' _Keep your mouth shut, or I will rip it out_!' Snowfire practically shrieked.

"Wait, stop!" I jumped out of my hiding place just in time. Snowfire was ready to fire at them all until I jumped onto her saddle, clinging on her neck for dear life. "Snowfire, please don't," I gasped when she pulled back, hissing in outrage. "They may be assholes but that's no reason to kill them."

"And you must be the girl I've heard of," the man suddenly spat. "We've been looking for you." Thankfully Snowfire had stopped long enough for me to give Hiccup one look. He caught the look in my eyes before rushing over to Toothless.

"Yeah? And why would that be?" I demanded while trying to keep Snowfire from attacking them again.

"Someone mentioned they missed their little girl," the man replied in a sneer. I felt my blood run cold as Snowfire stopped growling in anger. "I'm guessing you already know who that someone is." His face scowled in disgust as he drew out his sword. "We were told he would pay us dearly for bringing back his own flesh and blood, and I never turn a good offer down."

"Hey, Alvin!" Hiccup's voice cut in from behind. Alvin looked behind Snowfire in confusion, than his eyes widened in disbelief. "I'm not really the Dragon Conqueror. It's Dragon Trainer!" Toothless let out a roar before flying over us.

"Great Thunder of Thor! He _is_ the Dragon Conqueror!" Alvin gasped. I rolled my eyes as Snowfire took flight and followed them. "Fire! Don't let them escape!"

"Look out!" I called as a boulder flew in Hiccup's direction. Toothless turned just in time to avoid getting hit by the boulders. Snowfire easily dodged them as she flew in an odd pattern.

' _Forgive me_ ,' she suddenly said.

"Hey, the guy probably does deserve to die after what he said," I muttered after patting her neck reassuringly.

' _I should have killed him sooner_ ,' she growled. I felt a shudder run down my back as arrows were aimed in our direction. Snowfire veered to the left and quickly disintegrated them. It didn't take me long to realize that we weren't the only ones in the air.

"What took you so long?" Hiccup demanded when Astrid joined us.

"Why?" she countered with a smirk. "Did you miss us?"

"Why don't we show this bastard what real dragon riders can do?" I suggested. Hiccup smirked while Astrid nodded in agreement.

We continued dodging the boulders and arrows just as the others joined us on their dragons. "We've got to get in closer!" Hiccup ordered. Then I noticed that the Berk ship had moved in to position.

"Aim for the catapults," Stoick shouted. "If we knock them out, the dragons can finish off their ship." All of the Vikings on the ship got into position and took aim. "Fire!" It didn't take long for the boulders to land on Alvin's ship. I watched with a smirk of satisfaction as their small group fled away from the line of fire.

"Move off shore!" Alvin ordered. His men started to move the ship into open waters. That was when we saw our chance.

"Here's our chance! Come on!"

We all swooped in and started attacking the ship. Snowfire made sure that she left the most amount of damage, leaving a frustrated Alvin glaring at us. He turned to a muscular looking man and started giving orders. "Shoot that dragon down!" he shouted, pointing towards Snowfire. The man aimed the catapult behind the sail where we were flying past. "Fire!"

' _Hold on_!' I watched in horror as the boulder ripped through the sail, flying towards us. Snowfire started spinning to avoid getting hit, but in the process I was barely hanging on to the saddle. I held back a cry of shock as I started falling off and landed on the ship down below.

"Alex!" Hiccup cried, and flew towards the ship.

Alvin was quick to grab me by the arm and grinned triumphantly. "Welcome aboard, lass," he sneered and looked at his men. "Don't miss this time." The men started firing more arrows at Toothless, but luckily he was able to dodge all of them. "I won't be losing you so easily this time," he added while eying me curiously.

"I'd be careful with what you say, bastard," I snapped as I elbowed him hard in the stomach. Alvin let out a gasp of surprise at the sudden impact; his men were too preoccupied with taking down the other riders to notice.

"Fire into the water!" Hiccup's shout sounded from above. Alvin had recovered in time to grab me once again as I tried getting away.

"Fire!" Alvin ordered as a steam began forming around the ship.

"At what?" one of his men asked.

"Everything!"

All of the men started firing their arrows at anything that moved, or when they saw a shadow in the steam. I noticed for the first time that there was fear in Alvin's eyes. A shadow began falling on the ship, and he quickly drew out his sword and charged.

Another ship had rammed into theirs, and it didn't take me long to realize it was one of Berk's. Without warning I whacked Alvin in the head and face with a pale and made a run for it. I spotted Hiccup and Toothless flying down, knocking down Alvin in the process.

"Alex, hop on!" Hiccup called as Toothless reached out for my arms.

Stoick than jumped on the ship and punched Alvin in the face as he started to get up again. "You're a coward for taking my son," he snapped.

"Heh, you have no idea what you've brought upon yourself, Stoick," Alvin sneered. I landed on Snowfire's back once she had flown close enough. Now we were flying close enough to the ship that we could hear what they were saying. "You've all doomed yourselves by letting that wretch on to your island."

Hiccup and I exchanged looks as Stoick was kneed in the chest. I already had a feeling I knew what Alvin was talking about. When Alvin tried punching him, Stoick ducked and punched him in the stomach before performing a left uppercut that knocked Alvin out.

' _I would sooner eat an eel than let that man take you_ ,' Snowfire hissed as Alvin got back to his feet and attacked again. I rubbed her neck gently, thankful for the silent support she was giving me. The two had started fighting again as Alvin grabbed the rope holding on to an anchor and tried throwing it at Stoick.

"Whoa, I've never seen your dad fight so hard!" Tuffnut said as Barf and Belch hovered beside us.

"This is one for the history books," Jacob said in agreement as Sniper flew nearby.

Finally Stoick grabbed Alvin and pulled the man towards him. Then he wrapped the rope around Alvin's hands and punched him in the face. Once his work was finished, Stoick managed to push Alvin in the water and pull apart the two ships and jumped onto it.

"Now, Hiccup! Burn the ship!" he yelled.

"Here we go guys, hit 'em with everything you've got," Hiccup told us as we swooped down towards the ship.

' _It would be my genuine pleasure_ ,' Snowfire hummed as she shot a blast of fire at the ship. The men in question jumped out of the ship as plasma blasts, gas and sparks were thrown in their direction. It didn't take long for the ship itself to explode.

All of the Vikings Stoick had taken with him were gathered as we landed shortly after.

"Hiccup, what were you thinking?" he demanded.

"I was thinking… All I needed to do was get Toothless, and together, we'd make things right," Hiccup explained as he patted Toothless on the head. The other Viking teens cheered as they continued riding their dragons back to Berk.

' _I have every right to burn your face to a crisp_ ,' Snowfire hissed at Stoick. ' _It is because of men like you that I do not trust humans_.' Stoick actually looked a little embarrassed as I held on to her, careful that she didn't actually attack him.

"Banishing you with the dragons was a mistake," Stoick explained after glancing at Hiccup. "I understand that now. Can you forgive me?" His question caught me by surprise.

"I… I forgive you," I murmured, blushing a little at the look Hiccup gave me.

"Really? Because I don't," Jacob grumbled under his breath. I wasn't surprised to hear him say that.

"There's still something that's been bugging me," Hiccup suddenly said. I looked at him warily, already half knowing what he would say next. "What Alvin said back there, about someone looking for you, what did he mean by that?"

"Hiccup, there are some things about me that you and your village shouldn't know," I quickly replied while looking away. I bit the bottom of my lip as I realized how much danger I was putting him and his people in. If what Alvin had said was true, than there was a real possibility that the man I'd hated most of my life was here in this world. A few seconds of awkward silence passed before I finally sighed and explained my situation.

I bit the bottom of my lip and exchanged a look with Jacob. He only shrugged before leaning against the rail with his arms folded. I'd never told anyone other than him of what my father had done, and that was only bits and pieces of the truth.

"If I tell you the truth, you have to promise that it won't change the way things are now," I suddenly told them both. Stoick and Hiccup exchanged looks before nodding in agreement. "First off, I've already told you that we're not from this world." I paused to make sure that Stoick understood what that meant. Hiccup had already known from the moment we met that I wasn't from his world, and had accepted that fact. Thankfully Stoick had nodded in understanding once again. "When I was younger, I had an abusive father," I explained warily. "To the point where he would get drunk almost every night and take his anger out on me."

I could already see the anger and realization in Hiccup's eyes. Stoick remained oddly silent as I took a moment to catch my breath.

"When I was six, my father finally disappeared without a trace," I continued after trying to fight back the bitter memories. "In my world there are people known as cops who tried to figure out what happened. We finally decided that he just packed up and left us…" I stopped as I thought of the dream that had haunted me nights ago.

"So, you think whoever is looking for you is your father?" Stoick suggested. His voice was quiet as he let this new information sink in.

"I think that my father ended up here just like me," I replied with a nod. "Somehow it's connected." I added the last part with a shrug, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to show. The last thing I needed now was to cry.

"If what you said about your father's true, than it's likely he'll come to Berk looking for you," Stoick suddenly pointed out. It felt like my stomach was doing somersaults when he said that.

"I don't want to put your island in danger," I murmured as Snowfire nudged my hand gently. I couldn't even find the courage to tell her what he did, and I hadn't told them everything my father did. Maybe it was better they didn't know just how terrible he was.

"Dad?" Hiccup looked at Stoick warily as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. Finally he reached out a hand and put in on my shoulder, causing me to flinch involuntarily.

"You belong on Berk as much as the dragons do," he replied. "Besides, we've dealt with worse people." He added the last part with a shrug, though doubt still clouded my thoughts. I had a feeling that they were in for the shock of their lives.

...

Vikings were cheering for our return as the ship made port. It was close to sunset by the time we got back, and I was exhausted. It had taken us almost a day and a half to get back on boat. But now that we were back I did feel a little relieved.

Much to my surprise Stoick and Hiccup had remained oddly quiet during our trip back. The other teens had started asking what was going on, but Hiccup had just replied with a shrug before walking away. All the while I had stayed with Snowfire most of the time, trying to keep away as I thought back to everything I revealed.

"You here that bud?" Hiccup asked while patting Toothless on the head. "You're back home." When the ship was docked the crowd of Vikings started running down to greet us.

"What are you all cheering about?" Mildew demanded. Snowfire let out an irritated snarl, but I held her back. "Don't you remember what these beasts and that girl have done?"

"I do," Stoick said approaching the old man. "They were framed for something they didn't do, and they saved our lives." The glare Stoick gave was enough to silence Mildew.

"And I may not be able to prove what you've done," said Hiccup as we walked past, "But I will never forget it."

' _The next time you try pulling off such a stunt_ ,' Snowfire said in a warning growl, ' _I_ will _bite your head off and personally throw it in the ocean_.' Mildew's face paled at the ferocity in her voice. All the while I glared at him as we walked past.

Nothing else needed to be said. Snowfire stood by my side as I returned to my place. What did surprise me though was that Jacob had walked on my other side. I was thankful to have the company, though I wasn't sure if Jacob was the best person to talk to at the moment.

"You okay?" was all he asked as we walked on.

Finally I met his eyes and realized for the first time how good of a friend he really was. For most of my life he'd been there to protect me. And than it suddenly dawned on me why we got along so well.

"No, I'm not," I admitted. "You of all people know that I haven't told them the entire truth."

"I know." I looked at Jacob in surprise when he'd said that. "Your fear around men, guys your age, it makes sense. Your dad was a bastard, and he deserves to rot in hell for what he did. But that doesn't mean you have to live in the past." I couldn't fight back the tears that followed. I was more than surprised when I found myself leaning against his shoulder, fighting the urge to say something I would probably regret. "You'll always be my best friend, Alex. No matter what."

Some of the secrets I held were probably better off staying as such. I trusted Hiccup enough that he wouldn't tell the others what had been said back on the ship. He had set out to prove that the dragons and I were innocent. I would never forget what he did to help me, and would always cherish that moment we had on the beach.

* * *

 **AN: A little fluff between Alex and Jacob goes a long way ;) Sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy working on the chapters for the Paradigm.**

 **DarkDust27 - I don't like to rush things Oo It's better to keep things at a slow and steady pace.**

 **Drunken Hamster - It's okay, I know what you mean. There are a few new stories I'll be adding later on, like Gems of a Different Color and Defiant One. And don't worry too much, I'm glad you're reading them at all ^^**

 **The Silent Fury - Lol that's the best part about being an author. And don't worry, something will be happening in the near future, but I'm not giving away anything just yet :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - I just love original stuff! :D**

 **Sil - Ah Mildew... he really does irk everyone, doesn't he? Don't worry, he'll be getting his just dessert. Snowfire will make sure of that :P**


	19. How To Pick Your Dragon

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

" _We ride, we ride, we ride We ride it all, Ride, we ride, we ride We ride it all Ride, we ride, we ride We ride it all out. Alone, I fight these animals. Alone, until I get home..._ " - Six Weeks, Of Monsters and Men

* * *

Here on Berk, everything has been done the Viking way. Since the dragons arrived, the Viking way has become, well, the hard way. Unfortunately, some people, like Stoick the Vast, refused to change their old ways.

I landed Snowfire next to Hiccup and Toothless on the docks to find Stoick, Gobber, and some other Vikings already gathered. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw them pulling in a broken ship.

"I think we've seen this before," I muttered as I remembered what the Red Death had done. Berk had lost several ships because of that monstrous queen. This wasn't nearly as damaged, but it seemed just as bad.

"What happened?" asked Hiccup.

"It's that rogue dragon again," Gobber explained to the two of us. "That's the second boat it destroyed."

"Well, we lost another whole catch," Stoick informed us. "We could have saved it had we gotten there sooner."

"I know how you could've gotten there sooner," Hiccup said, gesturing slightly to Toothless and Snowfire.

Stoick let out an irritated sigh. "Here we go again," he grumbled. I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness. This wasn't the first time he had heard this song and dance. And I'm sure he would turn down Hiccup's offer once again.

"If you had flown there on a dragon, you would've been there in five minutes instead of two hours," I pointed out. Especially if he was riding a fast dragon like Toothless or Snowfire. Both dragons crooned in agreement as Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"And then you would've been able to chase that rogue dragon away for good," he finished for me. I already knew what Stoick would say before he said it.

"I am the Chief of Berk," he reminded us.

"And you do things the Viking way, not the dragon way," I said with a smirk. Stoick folded his arms and glared, but he didn't say anything.

"Well, the 'Viking way' is costing us our fish and almost as many boats," Hiccup pointed out, gesturing towards the broken ships.

"The two do have a good point," Gobber said. "If you were on a dragon, you could protect this island from a lot of things; even Alvin. And don't forget about that spy who tried framed the dragons, and Alex."

"Right!" Hiccup grinned as his father started to consider our reasoning. "You could use a dragon to—"

"Both you and Alex are right, Gobber," Stoick suddenly said, ignoring Hiccup. "Alvin knows we have dragons, and the girl. He'll be back." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes once again. Leave it to Stoick to make it seem like he had come up with the idea.

"You know what those dragons did, they had Alvin on the run," Gobber replied with a nod, gesturing to Toothless and Snowfire. "Imagine if you had been the one commanding them."

"I'm listening," Stoick said while rubbing his beard thoughtfully.

"But clearly not to me," Hiccup muttered.

"I can see it now! A proud chief ruling his domain flying above on a fearsome fire-breathing reptile!" Gobber started shivering with excitement at his own exclamation. "Ooh, gives me goosebumps. Or is that you, Snowfire?"

She only rolled her eyes and let out a puff of snow that covered his face and head. ' _I have no reason to freeze you humans_ ,' she muttered crossly. Gobber shook off the snow and grinned sheepishly. Hiccup took a step forward and tried getting his father's attention.

"That's what I've been trying to—"

"Gobber's right!" Stoick announced, ignoring Hiccup once again. He turned to face the two of us, having noticed that I was glaring. "I need to learn how to fly. When do we start the lessons?"

"I don't know, shouldn't we ask Gobber?" Hiccup grumbled with a bit of sarcasm. He crossed his arms as Stoick looked at us in surprise.

"Well, I don't really have a preference," Gobber replied with a shrug. "But sooner is always better, don't you think?"

Stoick nodded in agreement while Hiccup just stared at them in disbelief. All that kept me from yelling at the both of them was the fact that Stoick had the power to throw me out. I know that Hiccup had the power to stop his father, but knowing Stoick he would refuse to listen again.

"Remind me again how you two are related?" I asked in a whisper. Hiccup just facepalmed as Stoick and Gobber left the docks, talking about how they would run the island with the help of a dragon. "I'm just saying, you two are nothing alike, other than your stubbornness."

"Let's just hope that this doesn't backfire on me, again," he muttered crossly. I nodded in agreement as we headed back to the plaza. Knowing Stoick he was about to make his life ten times worse.

...

I spent that afternoon watching Hiccup try and teach his father how to fly on Toothless. Things didn't improve much as Stoick tried taking control before he was given instructions. Being the stubborn man he was, he just had to prove that he knew what he was doing.

All the while I was trying not to laugh at the sight. Stoick had kicked Toothless' sides, causing the Night Fury to take off without warning. Snowfire hummed in amusement as Toothless shot off like a rocket. Hiccup was clinging on to his dad for dear life until they finally slowed down.

"What are they doing?" Jacob asked when he joined me shortly after.

"Well, I think Hiccup's trying to teach his father how to fly a dragon," I explained with a shrug while holding back a fit of laughter.

"Is he flying or just trying to crash poor Toothless?" Both of us grinned at that, already knowing where that was headed.

"Remember, the tail and wings controls everything," Hiccup said as they started spiraling towards a rock.

"I know that!" Stoick retorted.

"Then why are we flying towards that rock?" Hiccup was pointing towards a sea stack they were flying after.

"Because you're distracting me!" Stoick yelled back.

"Just let out the—"

"The tail, I know!" Stoick snapped. I watched on in amusement as Stoick finally pressed down on the stirrup and got the tail to work. Toothless rose into the air just as he was about to hit the sea stack.

"Left!" Hiccup cried as they were headed for another sea stack. Stoick sent Toothless spiraling in the wrong direction. "The other left!" Hiccup shouted again, bracing himself for the sudden impact.

"Dragon's fault," Stoick retorted as they steered away from another sea stack. Toothless had barely missed hitting the sea stack, and by now I could see how horrified Hiccup was. I tried to hide my smirk as they flew past me. Then Stoick turned back towards the ocean, unexpectedly diving further and further towards the water.

"Slow down!" Hiccup shouted.

"I'm trying!" Stoick practically bellowed. I watched once again as Stoick pressed down hard on the stirrup; Toothless had finally leveled out at the last minute sending a spray of water in the process. "See?"

With a shake of my head I walked back over to where Snowfire was waiting. She had been watching from a distance, a smirk written across her face the entire time. Her tail flapped irritably when I approached her.

"Looks like they'll be gone for a while," I muttered.

"I'm surprised the proud Stoick didn't ask to ride Snowfire first," Jacob said with a smirk. Snowfire only rolled her eyes at the remark.

' _I would sooner bite his hand off than let that man ride me_ ,' she snapped. ' _Perhaps now is a good time to leave_ ,' she added to me.

I simply nodded in agreement before hopping into her saddle. Jacob looked at us in surprise and folded his arms.

"Where are you off to?" he asked.

"I need some alone time," I replied with a shrug. "I should be back before nightfall."

Jacob looked like he was ready to argue, but he didn't get the chance when Snowfire suddenly took off. After what Alvin the Outcast had said, I needed time alone to think about whether or not he was telling the truth.

What Alvin had said left me worrying that something really was going to happen. Stoick had reassured me that the Vikings had dealt with worse people. But he had no idea what he was dealing with when it came to my dad. My dad made just about every other human look good.

"I wish there was some way I could find out if Alvin was telling the truth," I said with a shake of my head. We were flying in the opposite direction of Toothless, Hiccup and Stoick.

' _The only way you could do that is if you returned to your own world_ ,' Snowfire reminded me. I patted her neck after realizing that she was probably right. The cops had said that he was probably murdered or ran off. They never really did fully explain what had happened.

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing," I sighed and leaned back against the saddle. Snowfire made a crooning sound and dove lower towards the ocean.

' _Why would you want to go back there_?' she demanded, her voice suddenly cold, no pun intended. I rolled my eyes and thought back to the reasons why. Truth be told I missed my world. All of the friends I had made probably moved on and forgot about me. I wasn't even sure what had happened to my mom. I could still picture her in the kitchen, face buried in her hands as if she had been crying.

"My mom probably thinks I'm dead." My voice dropped to a whisper. God, I hadn't realized how much I actually missed her. Despite all of the fights we'd had in the past, I knew that deep down she cared for me, and I cared for her.

' _So, you are worried about your birth mother_ ,' Snowfire concluded. I looked at her in surprise before nodding. ' _Perhaps it is best to forget_. _There is no way back to your world, as far as I know_.' That was easier said than done. And I wasn't in any hurry to forget the only family I had ever known.

"Let's go back," I finally said. I didn't want to spend too much time here without making people worry. Of course from what I had gathered Hiccup was the only one who seemed to care whether or not I was gone. Again I couldn't hide the blush as I thought of that.

Fortunately Snowfire wasted no time in returning to Berk. When we got back I spotted Toothless circling one of the fields. I smirked when I saw yaks were tipped over on their sides as we got closer. It didn't take a genius to know who was behind this latest yak tipping.

"I want every one of those yaks back on their feet!" Stoick shouted as Toothless zoomed past the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. I tried not to laugh as the twins looked up in confusion and surprise. Yak tipping was one of their favorite games.

' _What sort of fool plays that game_?' Snowfire asked as we landed nearby.

"The ones who don't think very much," I replied with a grin. Snowfire only rolled her eyes as we headed back for my place.

...

The next morning I found myself humming the same tune my mom had sang to me when I was younger. To my surprise and relief I hadn't had any nightmares lately. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least I finally got some decent sleep now.

My happy mood changed however when I walked outside. Snowfire was following me when Toothless slammed clumsily into several roofs. Snowfire was crooning with laughter as Toothless finally landed in front of Hiccup's house, after crashing into several other homes.

"Dad?" Hiccup immediately left the front steps and ran over to Toothless, who looked utterly exhausted. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Kicking butts and taking names, that's what," Stoick replied cheerfully as he got off of Toothless.

"Oh, Toothless," Hiccup sighed as he glanced between Toothless and his father.

"We've been all over Berk," Stoick explained with a triumphant smile. "Chiefing has never been easier."

"Yeah, but Toothless is my dragon," Hiccup reminded him.

"You picked a good one," Stoick said, placing a hand on his shoulders. He than walked towards the house, "just came back to grab me hatch. We're helping Jorgenson break down a fence."

"Yeah, that's great, but you have to understand that Toothless is a—"

"Oh, you're right; I don't need my hatch. Toothless can just blow the fence down with his plasma blasts," Stoick explained as he got back onto Toothless. "Up dragon," he ordered after kicking Toothless' side once again.

I winced when I saw the look Toothless was giving Hiccup. He was practically begging for this to be over. "Don't worry bud, I can fix this," Hiccup reassured him. Toothless flew up in the air shortly after. "See you then Toothless, I really hope."

' _I would sooner bite his hand off than let him ride me like that_ ,' Snowfire hissed once they were gone. I nodded in agreement, though I didn't say anything. I'd never seen Toothless look so miserable. And Stoick wasn't making anything easier for him.

It had taken Stoick most of the day to finish his work. Hiccup and I were sitting on the steps leading to the Great Hall when Toothless finally landed. Once Stoick got off Toothless actually looked relieved to not have a rider on his back.

"You see that?" Hiccup asked once Stoick was gone. "That's what it looks like to me being ridden by a four hundred pound man."

"Hey, at least you got your dad on a dragon," I pointed out with a sheepish grin. Seeing the pitiful look Toothless gave us made me almost regret saying that.

"Yeah, now I just have to figure out how to get him off of one," Hiccup sighed in frustration.

"Why not just tell him what he wants to hear before telling him the truth?" I suggested. "I'm just saying, people always want to hear the good news before they get the bad news," I added with a shrug.

"I guess I could try that." Hiccup smiled before standing up. "I just hope this works for Toothless' sake."

...

The following afternoon we were all gathered in the arena. Hiccup had led Stoick into the arena after discussing with us his plans. He was hopeful that Stoick would choose another dragon that he could take on his patrols.

"The finest dragon species on the island," Hiccup introduced them all to Stoick. All of the dragons were lined up with their respected rider. I stood next to Snowfire as she glared at Stoick, who looked equally unease.

"Not to mention their the only dragons we've trained," I mumbled under my breath. Snowfire crooned in agreement before nudging my hand once again. I patted her on the head as Stoick approached us. She had already made it obvious that she wasn't in any hurry to have him as her rider.

"They're all represented right here in the academy," Hiccup explained. Snotlout chose that moment to approach Stoick, a look of pride on his face as Hookfang growled in annoyance.

"But, the Monstrous Nightmare is the only one with brawn and prestige for men of our stature," he began as he showed off Hookfang to Stoick. "Hop on board; feel the Monstrous Nightmare difference. And on cold winter nights, his whole body heats up just enough to keep you cozy. Let me heat 'em up for you." Why did I suddenly feel like I was in the middle of a car commercial?

"Why do I get the feeling that would end very badly?" Jacob asked under his breath. Sniper was much more well behaved than Hookfang, but that didn't mean he caught himself on fire from occasion.

' _You just keep telling yourself that you are the best_ ,' Snowfire retorted. As soon as Stoick was on Hookfang's back, Snotlout flicked Hookfang's horn, causing the dragon to engulf himself in flames and glare down at his owner. Unfortunately for Stoick, his pants caught on fire, causing him to shout and jump off of Hookfang. Snowfire was quick to put the fire out, earning a sigh of relief from Stoick.

"So, should I put you down for one or…" Snotlout stopped as the chief glared at him. "They come in an assortment of colors!" Next up were Astrid and Stormfly.

"Just because she's beautiful, people think she's not tough," Astrid began while patting Stormfly on the shoulder. "But you should never underestimate me – I mean, her – uh, us."

Astrid smirked and placed her hands behind her back. Somehow I got the impression Astrid was talking more about herself than Stormfly, who didn't seem to mind one way or another what people thought of her. Though she did have a point in saying Deadly Nadders were very proud of their appearances.

"Well, she is a beauty," Stoick admitted as he reached out to touch Stormfly's snout.

"Wait, careful with the—" Astrid didn't get the chance to finish as Stormfly fired her quills. Luckily Stoick ducked before the quills could hit him. Snotlout stepped out and smirked at Astrid and Stoick once the danger passed.

"The Monstrous Nightmare's looking a little better now, huh, Chief?" I watched with amusement as Stoick ignored Snotlout, than turned to Barf and Belch. The two dragons were arguing so much that he didn't bother looking over them.

Stoick than approached Snowfire, but she was already backing away while glaring at him.

' _Do not touch me, human_ ,' she snapped. Stoick narrowed his eyes at her, than gave me the same look before folding his arms.

"Hey, she said it, not me," I said with a shrug.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side," Jacob added with a smirk. I couldn't help but grin back.

"Next!" Stoick was left with the Gronckle, Meatlug.

"Let me tell you, what you're really looking for is loyalty. A dragon who will be there for you no matter what," Fishlegs explained, but than he started getting sentimental. I tried not to smirk at the look Stoick gave him as he went on, "the last face you see at night, and the first face you see in the morning, warming the bed when it's cold outside, a shoulder to cry on when the world's against you. How could you not love a Gronckle?"

Hiccup and Stoick exchanged a look as Fishlegs started tearing up and hugged Meatlug. Meatlug in turn licked him affectionately as Stoick folded his arms once more. By now Jacob and I struggling not to laugh at the sight. This was one of those 'Kodak' moments.

"Sorry, son," Stoick said while putting a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder. "But I'm looking for a dragon, not a mother." Fishlegs only sniffed and looked away as Stoick glanced at Hiccup. "I haven't seen anyone that can hold a candle to a Night Fury, other than Snowfire, and I really would like to keep my arms."

"Me neither," Hiccup replied with a shake of his head. Toothless trotted over to his side and he placed his arm over the Night Fury. "But Toothless is the only Night Fury on Berk, and he's mine."

"Stoick!" Gobber shouted as he ran over to us. "Another boat is being attacked! It's the rogue dragon again!"

"Let's go!" Hiccup got on to the saddle, but as he tried putting his foot in the stirrup, he realized his father had beaten him to it.

"Oh, sorry, what was I thinking?" he asked. Sarcasm was dripping from his voice as Stoick sat in front of him. "At least he blocks the wind," he grumbled as Toothless took off with Snowfire and I close behind.

Soon the ship in question came into view. Toothless had fallen behind several times as Stoick tried controlling him. I looked over my shoulder in time to see the look in Toothless' eyes. With a shake of my head we surged forward to see Mulch and Bucket on the boat, trying to avoid getting hit by a strange looking dragon.

My eyes widened when I recognized it from the Book of Dragons. It was a blue Thunderdrum, zooming past the ship and terrorizing the sailors. It dove into the water and seconds later flew out before letting out an ear-splitting scream.

' _Incredible_!' Snowfire hissed as she flew past the beast. ' _The creature is defending it's territory_ ,' she added once we were far enough away. Luckily the Thunderdrum hadn't spotted us. It was so focused on the ship that it didn't notice Toothless approaching.

Suddenly Toothless fired a plasma blast at the Thunderdrum. The Thunderdrum let out a roar and started flying towards them, but Toothless fired another plasma blast. The blue-scaled dragon was quick to turn and flee by diving back into the water.

Toothless landed on the ship's deck followed shortly after by Snowfire.

"I think we've scared him off," Hiccup said.

"We've got to get everyone out of here," I continued. "That Thunderdrum was just defending it's territory."

"Come on lads!" Stoick said as he got off of Toothless. "We'll escort you back to shore. You'll have no more—" Stoick never had the chance to finish that sentence. The Thunderdrum had wrapped it's tail around his waist and pulled him into the water.

"No more what?" Bucket yelled, leaning over the ship's edge.

"Dad!" Hiccup cried.

"This is bad." Snowfire crooned in agreement as we saw nothing but bubbles.

"Um, Stoick can swim, right?" Mulch asked, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

The Thunderdrum suddenly flew out of the water, with Stoick clinging on to it's snout. Then it rammed Stoick into the wall of the boat, soaking us all in the process.

"He's a fighter!" Stoick shouted with a happy grin as he punched the Thunderdrum. The Thunderdrum started charging after Stoick once it recovered. "He's got spunk!" Stoick grinned as the Thunderdrum tackled him again. "This is the one, Hiccup! I found my dragon!" He wrapped a net around the Thunderdrum, holding it down so that it couldn't take off again. "Now all you have to do is train him for me."

Hiccup and I just stared blankly at the chief. Mulch and Bucket must have felt the same way, because seconds later they dropped their oars.

...

We got back to the arena later that day. The Thunderdrum had been locked up in one of the old prisons, and an iron muzzle was put on to keep him from using his signature attack.

"Sorry about the muzzle," I apologized as the Thunderdrum stared at us accusingly.

"Alright, now let's get me on his back," Stoick said, clasping his hands together. "Time's a wasting."

"Now we just gotta get one his size," Hiccup mumbled. I tried to hide my laughter as Stoick turned and glared at us.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"Nothing," we both replied in unison.

"Look, you have to approach him properly dad," Hiccup explained. "Especially a dragon like this. He's one of the most powerful dragons I've ever seen."

' _Excuse me_?' Snowfire suddenly spoke up. I smirked as Hiccup rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Second most powerful," he quickly corrected himself. Snowfire let out a huff of satisfaction.

"That's why I picked him," Stoick stated in an obvious tone. "He gets his power from Thor himself. He's the God of Thunder, you know?" I had almost forgotten that Vikings believed in more than one God. It was strange how different our religions were, and yet we still get along despite our differences.

"So I've heard," Hiccup grumbled. "Still, you have to let the dragon know that you're a friend."

"A friend huh?" Stoick asked while trying to take this all in. "You mean like Gobber and me?"

"That's a perfect example!" I exclaimed. "What did you do when you first met?"

Stoick suddenly grabbed Hiccup in a headlock. "That's my wife you're talkin' to, you one-legged lout!" he snapped. I had to laugh as he showed us how he and Gobber first met, nearly strangling Hiccup in the process.

"Okay, not the approach I had in mind," Hiccup said after gasping for air. "Dad, what's real important is that you let him know he can trust you. You have to make eye contact." Snowfire and I exchanged a look before I shrugged.

This wasn't something I had to go through when we first met. I thought back to that random Timberjack I nearly ran into days ago. Again I didn't really have to do much, other than stand there and tremble in horror as the dragon sniffed my hand.

"Uh-huh, sure," Stoick said bluntly.

"This should be fun," I muttered as I walked over to the lever. I pulled down the lever, and the Thunderdrum slowly crawled out. My heart nearly skipped a beat when he looked directly at me. "Easy," I reassured him. "I'm a friend."

The Thunderdrum sniffed me cautiously before turning and growling at Stoick. Both he and Hiccup had been watching with wide eyes. All I could do was shrug as the Thunderdrum started approaching Stoick.

"Stay calm, and be gentle," Hiccup reminded Stoick, staying close just in case. "And you'll know you've formed a bond when he bows his head and lets you climb on his back." Slowly Stoick reached out for the Thunderdrum only to have it lash out and snarl at him. After checking to make sure his fingers were still intact, Stoick punched the dragon back into it's cage. "Hey!" Hiccup glared at his father. "What happened to trust?"

"Talk to him!" Stoick yelled back, pointing at the Thunderdrum. "He's the one who tried to take off my hand!"

Growling in defiance, the Thunderdrum flew out of the cage, only to have his tail grabbed by Stoick.

"This isn't helping!" I shouted as the Thunderdrum dragged him around.

"I've got to show these beasts who's boss!" Stoick insisted and slammed the Thunderdrum to the ground. He got onto it's back as he tried recovering and grinned triumphantly. "Look at that! I'm on his back!" he exclaimed before giving Hiccup a smug look. "Any questions?"

The Thunderdrum refused to listen and started flying around the arena once again. "Too many to ask," Hiccup muttered.

"I wonder how long he can stay on?" I asked, remembering some of the bull riding competitions they used to show on television. Suddenly the Thunderdrum flew out of the arena, with Stoick still on his back. "Guess that answers my question," I muttered with a shrug.

...

We were back at the forge later that day. Stoick had still not returned with the Thunderdrum, and Gobber had his head inside a Gronckle while checking on it's teeth.

"I talk to him but my dad just doesn't listen," Hiccup sighed in frustration. "It's like I'm wasting my breath."

"I've got it!" Gobber suddenly exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Hiccup sighed in relief. "At least somebody other than Alex understands me." I tried to hide the blush that followed after he said that. In a strange way we kind of understood each other.

"I was talking about this," Gobber replied as he showed us a rotten Gronckle tooth. "Nasty! Now, what were you saying?"

"Huh!" Hiccup threw his arms up in frustration once again. "My father!"

"Right, Stoick," Gobber apologized and cut the rope around the Gronckle's mouth. "Let me explain about father's and sons, and you might want to miss out on this one lass," he added to me. I simply shrugged and let him continue. "It's a father's job to listen to his son without ever letting on that he's heard a word."

"I don't think I've ever had that privilege," I muttered. Hiccup threw me a look of concern before Stoick yelled his name. We both turned to see him standing in front of the forge, only to see that he was covered in bruises. "What happened to you?"

"Ah, the beast threw me off and flew off to Thor knows where," Stoick explained.

"Well, can you blame him? All you ever did was fight him," Hiccup pointed out.

"Ah he loved it."

"Well, apparently not," I muttered.

"We can stand here arguing all day, or we can go get my dragon," Stoick said while walking away.

"You sure you don't need looking after before we go out," I pointed out.

"I'll be fine once we find that Thunderdrum," Stoick grunted.

"Here we go again," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes.

...

Later that evening all of us were flying across the island looking for the Thunderdrum.

"Snowfire, do you think you can track him down?" I asked as we flew between Hookfang and Stormfly.

' _I am not a tracking dragon_ ,' she retorted. I nodded in understanding; I was hoping she would have a different answer.

"Alright, we need to fan out and cover the entire island!" Stoick ordered as he flew with Hiccup and Toothless.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you take—"

"You take the west side!" Stoick ordered before Hiccup finished.

What happened to Hiccup leading the patrols? I resisted the urge to glare at Stoick's back as he continued giving orders.

"You got it chief!" Tuffnut nodded. The twins veered off towards the western part of the island.

"Can anyone even see me back here?" Hiccup demanded with a roll of his eyes.

"Snotlout, Jacob, to the north side," Stoick continued spitting orders.

"Come on, Fishlegs," Astrid called as Hookfang flew away. "We'll take the east side!"

"But it's allergy season," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Fishlegs!" Astrid snapped.

"It's not me though," Fishlegs said while patting Meatlug's neck. "It's for her." Astrid just rolled her eyes and flew off. Eventually, Fishlegs flew after her, sighing in defeat.

"Well, your friends sure are an odd bunch, but they sure know what they're doing on those dragons," Stoick said once they were gone. I just narrowed my eyes as we flew over to the south side of the island.

"Thanks, I think," Hiccup said. Stoick continued searching for the dragon as Hiccup tried giving him some advice. "Okay, when we find the dragon, we might want to think of approaching it… differently. Obviously he doesn't like being pushed around. So—"

"There he is!" Stoick cut him off once again, pointing towards a Thunderdrum crawling into a cave.

"And once again, not a word got through," Hiccup grumbled in annoyance.

"That surprises you?" I asked under my breath.

' _The man is as hard-headed as his helmet_ ,' Snowfire added once we flew down to the cave.

As soon as we were off our dragons, the Thunderdrum roared at us. His muzzle was still covering his mouth as Toothless and Snowfire roared in defiance. Snowfire let out another ear-splitting screech that sent the dragon scurrying into his cave.

"Why don't you try warning us the next time you do that?" Stoick asked while glaring at Snowfire. She only glared back, a growl forming in the back of her throat.

"Settle down guys," Hiccup told them.

"Let me handle this," Stoick said while grabbing a hammer. "This dragon's mine."

"Dad!" Hiccup tried to stop Stoick, but he wouldn't listen.

"Well, this should be fun to watch," I muttered sarcastically. That was when I caught sight of something else in the cave. Stoick must have noticed it as well, because his grip on the hammer relaxed slightly.

"There's another Thunderdrum in here," he said, waving Hiccup and I over. Sure enough as we got closer we noticed a purple Thunderdrum laying in the cave. My eyes widened when I noticed that it was injured.

"He's been hurt," I murmured sympathetically.

"He's just protecting his friend," Stoick added. Then he turned to Hiccup and me. "Go get the others, and tell Gobber to get ready."

"Dad, I just can't leave you here," Hiccup insisted.

"Go!" Stoick shouted.

"He'll be fine; I'll stay here and look after them," I reassured Hiccup.

Hiccup stood there and hesitated before getting on Toothless and taking off. Stoick than turned and faced the Thunderdrum, who was still glaring at him.

"Now, it's just you and me, big fella," he said. I rolled my eyes once again as I slowly approached the injured Thunderdrum. It's eyes flew over to me as the blue one glared. "Why isn't he attacking you?" Stoick demanded as I managed to reach the injured one.

"I don't know," I admitted with a shrug. The injured Thunderdrum looked at me with wide, scared eyes. I knew that a scared dragon would be dangerous. It's friend only watched me suspiciously as I reached out a hand.

Then the Thunderdrum let out a snarl at the sound of a snapping twig. I turned around just in time to see a herd of boars making their way towards us. Snowfire's wings were flared in a defensive position.

"Ah, they smell the blood of your wounded friend," Stoick realized. He looked at me and grabbed his hammer. "Alex, see what you can do about that injured Thunderdrum." I nodded and started looking for the herbs I had used for Torch and Toothless. "The rest of us will deal with the boars."

' _With pleasure_ ,' Snowfire hissed. Then the boars charged at them. I quickly gathered all the herbs I could and rushed over to the Thunderdrum laying in the cave. It's wing was already covered in dried blood. Glancing at Snowfire I gestured for her to join us.

"Can you create enough steam to moisten this cloth?" I asked while ripping grabbing a cloth from her saddle. Snowfire dipped her head before breathing out a light mist. Because of her power to breathe fire and ice, she could also create a fine mist.

I hadn't noticed that two of the boars managed to get past Stoick. Snowfire let out a roar of fury and tossed them aside like they were nothing. Three other boars charged at the blue Thunderdrum, but he whacked them away with his tail.

More tried getting into the cave, but Snowfire managed to block them. While she kept us protected, I started wrapping the cloth and crushed herbs along the injured Thunderdrum's wounds. One thing I had learned was to always keep some kind of cloth.

"There, you should be fine for now," I murmured reassuringly. The injured Thunderdrum looked at me before crooning in what I assumed was thanks. Meanwhile Stoick was still fighting alongside the blue Thunderdrum as more boars started joining their comrades.

' _These creatures do not give up, do they_?' Snowfire slammed another boar with her tail, sending it flying into a tree. My jaw had nearly dropped when I saw Stoick's hand reaching out to the Thunderdrum. What surprised me even more was that the Thunderdrum had accepted him. Then he pulled off the rope covering the Thunderdrum's mouth.

"Look at us, we've bonded," he announced after the Thunderdrum let out sonic blast that sent the boars flying backwards.

That was when Hiccup and the others had finally arrived on their dragons. Once they landed they looked at Stoick in surprise when he was sitting on the Thunderdrum.

"What just happened here?" Hiccup asked.

"Just battled a few boars, did a little bonding," Stoick replied while chuckling.

"You?" Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are," I said with a nod.

"Of course," Stoick told us with a nod. He was grinning from ear to ear, making me hide a smirk at the sight. "You know, there's something you should know about dragons. It's all about trust." Stoick paused before glancing back at me. "And you still owe us an explanation," he added; his voice had dropped to a whisper, and I simply nodded.

"Wait, so you actually heard what I said?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," Stoick confirmed, "I just said it; I listen."

...

Later that evening we arrived on Berk and dropped off the injured Thunderdrum at the forge where Gobber stood.

"Take good care of him," Stoick informed him. "He's a friend." Gobber simply nodded before leading the injured Thunderdrum into the forge. We flew off back towards Hiccup's house, where everything was oddly quiet. "So," Stoick began once we were all situated inside. "Would you like to explain why that dragon didn't bite off your hand?"

Hiccup was sitting beside Toothless while Snowfire had been left (much to her reluctance) outside. I sat across from Hiccup while Stoick stood in front of us, a stern look on his face.

"Well, would it be weird to say that I can… bond with other dragons?" I asked with a sheepish look. Even I wasn't sure what to call it. But I quickly explained what had happened back on Dragon Island with the Timberjack, and Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's incredible!" Hiccup exclaimed once I was finished with my tale. "Have you ever heard of anything like that?" He looked at Stoick, who was rubbing his beard thoughtfully and shook his head.

"No, nothing like this has ever been described in the Book of Dragons," he replied. "Something tells me that may be why Alvin was after you."

"Either way, having that ability could be handy, especially when it comes to training the dragons," Hiccup put in.

"Glad to see I'm of some use around here," I muttered crossly. But I did want to know why I had this ability, and if that said ability was even a possibility. Maybe there was more to it than I realized.

* * *

 **AN: Not sure why, but I thought that was a fitting song for this chapter. Of Monsters and Men has really grown on me. I like their whimsical lyrics ;)**

 **Sil - Lol Alvin is definitely not a likable character. Though Dagur is probably my least favorite, for many reasons. But I will say he'll be playing a rather important roll later down the road... Hehe :P**

 **The Silent Fury - You and me both! *Punches Mildew in the face* There, job done XD But seriously, you're more than welcome to write your own story about having him punched in the face by all the dragon riders :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Yep, she did. And as for Snowfire, I did leave a lot out in the original story about her past... I might write a one-shot or two about that and what happened to her. It depends, especially on how I feel about it :)**

 **DarkDust27 - Ah the never-ending question... to know or not to know? I love making readers guess what happened, though in this case, it might not be such a good idea /:**


	20. Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

" _I wish you never thought you had to go Wish you never thought you had to leave, Together we can lift each other up We can build a shelter for the weak, No man is an island, we can be found No man is an island, let your guard down, You don't have to fight me, I am for you We're not meant to live this life alone..._ " - No Man Is An Island, Tenth Avenue North

* * *

Measuring up to a Viking is never easy. Especially when you're worlds apart, and in a village full of people who can ride dragons. So when you get the chance to prove your worth, you jump on it.

I watched in amusement with Snowfire sitting beside me cleaning her wings. With the way things were going I had pretty much found my place in the village. I was able to bond with dragons in a level that no human ever could.

Much to Mildew's disappointment, Stoick had assigned me to making sure that the dragons arriving on the island were not a threat to the village. That alone had made me feel more welcome than he realized. But it was also a huge responsibility.

Keeping tabs on all the dragons that migrated to Berk or lived on the island was a big task. Not to mention I would have to make sure they didn't attack the village. That was why I found myself sitting alone on a sea stack.

' _I would rather soar above the island than sit here_ ,' Snowfire muttered when we sat there for what felt like hours. I had left early in the morning before dawn broke to patrol the island. What I really wanted was some time to think to myself, and now I had that chance.

"I know it's boring, but can you think of a better view?" I asked after letting out a sigh of annoyance. From up here I could see the entire island without tiring Snowfire out. Even a dragon had their limits as to how long they could fly.

"There you are!" I flinched when I spotted Stormfly approaching us. The sea stack was big enough for two dragons, but being on a high cliff with Astrid made it suddenly feel tiny. "What are you doing out here?" she asked curiously.

"Watching for any dragons," I replied as casually as I could. Snowfire only snorted in amusement before turning to face Stormfly. The Deadly Nadder made that same crooning sound, which I assumed was their way of communicating.

"Really? I thought you'd be with Hiccup." I didn't miss the look Astrid was giving me. "He and Stoick are at the Great Hall getting their family portrait done," she explained warily. Why the hell was she telling me this? I didn't need to be with him every minute. Then I suddenly understood where she was going with this.

"You do realize that I have a life outside of Berk, right?" I eyed her skeptically as I thought back to my old life. Once again I was left wondering what my life would be like had I never woken up in this world. I really needed to stop thinking about it. Somehow I knew that going back wasn't an option.

"Yeah, I suppose." Why was it that every time I was alone with Astrid things only got more awkward? I knew she held a grudge because of how close Hiccup and I were. But honestly, I couldn't see us being more than just friends. Everything that had happened made me reluctant to even think of starting a relationship.

"It's actually kind of funny," I murmured thoughtfully. Astrid looked at me in confusion before I explained, "When I first arrived in this world, all I wanted was to find a way back home. And now, I don't think I could go back to my world even if I was given the choice." Snowfire had stopped beside me and rested her chin on my shoulder, though she was gentle enough not to knock me over. "I never realized how beautiful this world was or is."

"You know, you and Hiccup are almost exactly alike," Astrid muttered after looking away. I hadn't really given that much thought until now. We did share a lot in common, and I knew that was part of the reason why we got along so well. "How is it you're able to communicate with your dragon?" she suddenly asked.

I looked at her in surprise, taken aback by the question before glancing at Snowfire. She only eyed us both curiously as I thought of an answer.

' _Only my kind are capable of doing so_ ,' Snowfire answered for me. ' _Our gifts rely on trust between rider and dragon_.' I simply nodded in agreement before patting her on the head.

"I guess that makes sense," Astrid said with a shrug. For a moment we were left in another awkward silence before she spoke up again. "Look, I just wanted you to know that I'm glad you care for Hiccup." Her words caught me off guard. "We should probably get back."

For the first time I noticed something was off about her. As she hopped onto Stormfly I spotted what looked like a tear at the edge of her eyes. Regret suddenly washed over me as I climbed into Snowfire's saddle. It had been while since we actually talked, and I doubted that we would ever consider ourselves as friends. I felt like I was responsible for that, in more ways than one.

' _She will recover_ ,' Snowfire suddenly told me.

"I sure hope so," I whispered as we flew back to the village. I had promised myself that I wouldn't get between them. And now all of a sudden everyone seemed to think we were more than friends. Well, Astrid seemed to at least.

...

That night we were all gathered in the Great Hall as a feast was held. I along with Jacob, the other Viking teens and surprisingly Jessica were there staring at the portraits already hanging on the wall in one of the hallways.

"Look at all these great leaders," Astrid said while looking at Hiccup. Her voice was filled with awe as she continued, "And tomorrow morning, you'll be joining them."

"There goes the neighborhood," Snotlout snorted. I just elbowed him when no one was looking, earning a glare in response.

"You're part of an elite group, my friend," Fishlegs said as we walked away while looking at the paintings. "And one of the few who wasn't killed by their successor."

"So far," Tuffnut said with a chuckle.

"I guess it is a big deal," Hiccup said in agreement. "I mean, it's a big part of history, right?"

"A history of goofballs," Snotlout said while pointing to another portrait. A young blonde who was standing next to his father, not looking overly happy in the painting.

"Does he ever do anything but insult people?" Jacob asked under his breath. I only rolled my eyes in response, though secretly I'd been wondering that myself.

"That's Hamish the First," Fishlegs instantly explained at my look of confusion. "He was our richest and most revered leader, and his son, Hamish the Second."

"I'm Hamish the Second," Snotlout mocked in a high-pitched voice. "Bow down before me and kiss my pointy shoes!"

I smirked as the twins chuckled and Tuffnut started bowing down behind Snotlout. Ruffnut was bowing in front of him when she pushed Snotlout into Tuffnut. The force of their fall had caused the picture of Hamish to fall down on Snotlout's head.

"Look at what you did to the Hamish's!" Fishlegs practically squealed as he tried cleaning the mess they'd made. He frantically picked up the picture and hung it back on the wall, sighing in relief once it was back in place. "Forgive us, please," he begged.

But as he touched the portrait, a sheet of parchment fell down from the painting itself.

"What's that? It's probably mine," Tuffnut said as he tried reaching down for it, but Snotlout beat him to it.

"It looks like some kind of map," he said with a grin. "With poetry," he suddenly added in disgust.

"I'll take that." Out of nowhere a hand grabbed the map, ripping it out of Snotlout's grasp.

"Hey, that's my poetry map!" Snotlout complained.

"All o' these were supposed to be destroyed," Gobber said while eyeing the parchment carefully.

"Why? What's so special about it?" I asked as I tried reaching for it, but Gobber held it up too high. Damn me and my short legs.

"Men lost their limbs, their lives and their minds trying to find this treasure," Gobber explained, than he held a hand to his mouth when he realized that he said too much.

"I've heard about this!" Fishlegs said excitedly. "The treasure of Hamish the First, his son buried him with it and left this map. They say the clues are so complicated, that only a brilliant mind could decipher them."

"Stoick and I even went after that treasure," Gobber told us. "It lured us up into the mountains during a blinding snowstorm. We fought like badgers over the clues, and we're lucky ta make it out alive, and with our friendship intact." He looked down at us with a warning gaze. "For your own good, forget you ever saw this."

We all shared confused looks as Gobber limped off with the map. Something told me there was more to this story than Gobber was letting on. My curiosity was peaked, and I doubted the other teens were going to let this go so easily.

...

The following morning almost everyone from the village was gathered at the Great Hall. Apparently Bucket was about to reveal the painting he'd been working on the other morning. And what surprised me even more was that Bucket could actually paint.

Hiccup stood up in the front of the crowd with his father. I had to stand on my tiptoe in order to get a better view of the painting. The painting itself was currently covered in a purple silk cloth, something that was rare to find in this current time period.

Stoick had said a few words before Bucket finally pulled off the cloth. The moment I laid eyes on it, I nearly gasped. The painting looked nothing like Hiccup. Instead there stood two Vikings; one was obviously Stoick, but the other had an extra seventy pounds added on, along with muscles that made Snotlout look like a shrimp. The sword and shield were also raised as if they were posed for the attack.

But the lack of reality didn't stop the crowd from cheering. What bothered me more than anything was that Stoick didn't even seem bothered by how different the painting looked.

"Whoa, what happened to Hiccup?" Tuffnut asked, pushing his way through the crowd as the other teens stood around me.

"Who cares?" Ruffnut, Astrid and Jessica said together as they marveled at the painting. I only rolled my eyes at their reactions.

"Hey, Bucket, why am I so… like that?" Hiccup himself asked, gesturing to the painting. By now the crowd had died down, and a few women had stayed behind to admire the painting and chat about it.

"Why is the sky blue?" asked Bucket. "Why do I have a bucket on me head? We'll never know the answers." Stoick chose that moment approach them with a mug of ale in his hand.

"You did a brilliant job, Bucket!" he congratulated and patted Bucket on the shoulder. "Don't you think so, son?"

"But it's not me," Hiccup pointed out.

"Sure it is," Stoick reassured him. "You know, just bigger and stronger."

"Now that's the son of a chief," Mulch said after joining them. He clanked his mug of ale with Stoick's before taking a swig.

"You see what I mean?" Stoick asked.

Didn't he see how hurtful his words were? Once again I was flabbergasted with how little these people even knew Hiccup. These people didn't seem to realize that it wasn't all about appearance. I always thought that what mattered was on the inside.

...

Later that day Hiccup and I were walking around the village, talking about what had happened that morning. I had a feeling he needed to blow off some steam after seeing that painting. Honestly I didn't mind listening to people rant, so long as it was for a good reason.

"Unbelievable!" he muttered while looking at me. "My father likes that painting better than me! I mean think about it… even my name! You know that it's a Viking tradition to name the runt of the litter 'Hiccup'?"

"Actually I don't," I reminded him. Hiccup just gave me a look before I shook my head. "Hey, I'm the one who's still learning the ins and outs of being a Viking," I pointed out. "But I get what you're saying, and it bothers me too."

As if to prove his point, we passed a flock of sheep being led by a Viking. The smallest of the flock started to lag behind a bit. "Come on, little hiccup," he said. Then he looked up and saw Hiccup and me. "Oh, hello Hiccup."

"See?" Hiccup threw his arms up in exasperation. "What do I have to do in order to get my father to accept me?" he muttered, almost to himself.

"He does accept you," I tried reassuring him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Hopefully he wouldn't take my next words the wrong way, "he just accepts the painting more." I wished there was an easier way to say that. But as usual I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Don't forget that you're the one who managed to slay the Red Death," I quickly added.

"True, but people out there think that I'm ten feet tall and have the strength of a dozen men," Hiccup said.

I was about to say something when I thought better of it. I had a feeling this was on a more personal note for Hiccup, and something I shouldn't get involved in. We walked on in awkward silence until we reached the forge. My eyes narrowed when I saw Fishlegs standing in front of it. Curiosity got the better of us as we approached it.

"What are you doing at the forge, Fishlegs?" I asked while crossing my arms.

"N-nothing!" Fishlegs replied a little too quickly. Then he turned his head to the side and started making a few bird calls in what looked like the direction of the forge. "Caw-caw-caw-caw!" he called several times.

Hiccup let out a sigh of frustration while I smirked. "Okay, where are they?" he asked. Fishlegs suddenly did an impression of an owl.

We both shook our heads and approached the back of the forge where the twins were standing in front of the windows. Soon enough Snotlout came crawling out of the window, a triumphant look on his face.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I've got the map, we're finding that treasure," Snotlout said while holding a piece of parchment. Then he turned and glared at Fishlegs. "And you are a terrible lookout."

"You heard what Gobber said," Astrid snapped when she joined us, a scowl was across her face. "The bravest warriors in history have died trying to find that treasure."

"Yeah, and I'm next," Snotlout said with a smug look.

"What, next to die?" I asked with a smirk. Snotlout's face fell and he scowled at me in response.

"Well, I would personally like to live to see my next birthday," Astrid scoffed.

"We'll be legends!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "They'll sing songs about us!"

"Eh, I could live without that," I replied with a shrug. Again Fishlegs and Snotlout glared at me. I've never been one to enjoy the life of a star.

"You'll be dead," said Astrid with a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Come on guys, even Stoick couldn't find it!"

"You're right, he couldn't!" Hiccup's eyes lit up as an idea formed in his head. "Give me that map," he said, trying to pry it from Snotlout's hands.

"Finally, someone's making sense," Astrid sighed in relief.

"Something tells me that this won't end the way you're hoping," I muttered under my breath. Astrid just gave me a look when Hiccup finally got hold of the map. He eyed it with interest before finally speaking up again.

"Alright, where do we start?" he asked. I looked at Astrid with a roll of my eyes as she gaped at Hiccup.

"Are you serious?" she demanded. Hiccup's eyes were full of determination as he looked back at us.

"Think about it," he said. "My father couldn't find that treasure. What would he say if I did something that Stoick the Vast couldn't do?" Ah, that made sense. It was a stupid, crazy idea, and one that could cost them their lives.

"You're going to go after this no matter what I say, aren't you?" I asked warily. Hiccup just grinned and shook his head, that same determined look in his eyes. "Well, if you can't beat 'em, join them."

"So you two aren't going to give me a hard time about this?" Hiccup asked skeptically.

"Well, I'm going to give you a hard time," Astrid said while pointing a finger at him accusingly. "Every step of the way."

"I'm just gonna go with the flow on this one," I replied with another shrug. "Besides, someone's gotta keep an eye on these nutcases." I turned in time to see the twins fighting each other, yet again. Ruffnut smacked her brother in the face as hard as she could.

"Hard I said, I wanna see stars!" Tuffnut groaned. Ruffnut than punched him hard in the face, knocking her brother to the ground.

"Good point," Hiccup replied with a smirk. He looked at the map again to find a good starting point. "Looks like the map leads you to these points."

"And the riddles are clues to what we're supposed to find," Fishlegs put in. Huh, that sounded a bit National Treasurish to me. It was definitely one of my favorite movies.

"Blah, blah, blah, where's the treasure?" Snotlout asked while snatching the map. "Clue number one: Where the land meets the sea, in the crook of the master's knee, that's where your search will be-gin."

"That doesn't sound so brilliant," Ruffnut said.

"Okay, think…" Tuffnut had said this multiple times before finally forgetting what he was thinking about.

"Well, when it says 'Where the land meets the sea', I'm guessing that he means the beach," I replied while eyeing the map. I was still having a difficult time reading the language, but practice makes perfect. "But the 'crook of the master's knee', I don't know."

"But I have," Hiccup said as we all leaned down to study the map. We headed straight for the Great Hall, looking at the portraits on the wall. Unsurprisingly the latest portrait was still up in it's spot, glaring down at us. "Look, right there!" Hiccup announced, pointing at something.

We all looked at the paintings and realized what he was pointing at. The painting of Hamish the First with his son. His foot was on a rock, pointed to a weird looking rock spire jutting out from the rock behind him.

"Where his knee bends," I realized out loud. "I guess that's where we start looking."

...

' _You disturbed my rest for this_?' Snowfire's voice was full of annoyance as we flew down to one of the beaches. ' _What is it your human hatchlings are searching for_?' On this beach, there was an awesome view of the water, and in particular, the same rock spire that was shown in the painting.

"Don't know," I replied with yet another shrug. "But apparently it's some kind of valuable treasure."

Snowfire only snorted irritably. ' _Humans and their foolish desires_ ,' she muttered crossly. I tried not to laugh at the irony before patting her on the neck. The others had stopped at the edge of the beach and were hovering over the ocean now.

"This is kind of exciting," Jacob admitted as Sniper flew close to us. Once he was up to speed on what we were going, Jacob was more than willing to join us. I had a feeling he just wanted a share in the treasure too. What was it with guys and their treasure?

"It sounds a bit too much like National Treasure, don't you think?" I asked. That was one of my favorite Disney movies. I'm not going to lie, I've always been a big fan of history and adventure mixed into one movie.

"Yeah, it does," he admitted, eyes widening as he realized where I was getting at.

"Listen up you guys," Hiccup began as he unrolled the map, "from here you will see the sea that's been sown, look to where water turns to bone." Well that sounded reassuring. Maybe this map would lead us in different directions just like in National Treasure. I smirked at the idea as Snotlout leaned on Hookfang's horn.

"Water turns to bone? Hamish isn't even trying to make sense," he said.

"No," Hiccup said and recited the riddle. Then his eyes brightened like they always did when he got an idea. "He must mean ice! The glacier!" They looked up at the glacier that was right next to the beach.

"Of course," I said while staring at it. "That's what Hamish means by 'the sea that's been sown'."

"If only my dad could see me now," Hiccup sighed.

' _The hatchling craves his father's affection_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we flew up to the glacier. It was a mixture of white and blue, similar to the ones I'd seen pictures of in my world. I was surprised at how pretty it looked with the sunlight reflecting off of it.

"Yeah well, you can hardly blame him," I whispered.

' _Of course I can; I was just starting to fall asleep when you rudely woke me up_ ,' she retorted. I resisted the urge to grin sheepishly at her response. Dragons were not the friendliest when they first woke up, at least if their sleep was disturbed.

"There's a lot of Vikings frozen in the ice," I started until glancing down. There was a small object buried on the floor that caught my attention. "There's something down there!"

"I bet that guy saw it too," Fishlegs said while looking at a Viking frozen in the ice. Hiccup looked at the map once more to read the next clue.

"Call on Magni, you'll go astray. Freya though, will show the way." Man, I really wish I had studied Norse mythology. I barely knew who he was talking about.

"I get it!" Snotlout said before hitting the ice with his head, cutting it in half. A sudden click followed, and we looked up in time to see a massive, clawed mace that began to swing down on top of Snotlout.

"No!" Hiccup pulled Snotlout away just as the mace swung down and smashed itself into the wall right next to them. "We can't break the ice," Hiccup said once they were safe. "That's what 'Magni' means; he's the God of Strength."

"Remind me to thank him later on," I said in a whisper. Snowfire only hummed in amusement as Astrid snapped her fingers.

"Of course! And Freya is the God of Fire!" she announced. Hiccup nodded before rolling up the map and helping Snotlout to his feet.

"And that's exactly what we're going to do." He looked up to where Toothless was perched. "Toothless, you know what to do." Toothless roared and hopped down from the icy ledge. Hiccup pointed to the rock before Toothless fired a stream of blue fire at the ice, melting a hole rapidly.

Hiccup knelt down and picked up the burning object, eyeing it curiously. It looked like some kind of symbol, with parts on the sides which made it seem like it would fit together with something. Yep, definitely sounds like a scene from that movie I've mentioned too much.

"That's it?" Ruffnut asked in a voice full of disappointment. "That's the treasure?"

"No, it can't be," Hiccup replied. "But I bet it'll lead us to it."

"I feel like I was sucked into a movie," I muttered under my breath.

"Me too," Jacob piped up.

Everyone gave us weird looks before Tuffnut grabbed the object and held it at arms length.

"Take us to the treasure!" he shouted.

"Let me know if it answers," Astrid joked.

"This is just the first piece," Hiccup said while taking the object from Tuffnut.

There was a loud rumble and a strange hissing sound, and the glacier began to shake. Big chunks of ice began to fall from the top, and crevasses split the floor into a jigsaw puzzle. My eyes widened in horror when I realized what it was doing.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried.

The dragons wasted no time in taking off as the glacier began to sink. Well, there goes another natural beauty. We flew towards a sea stack once the threat was gone.

' _What sort of dangers will you put yourselves in next, hatchlings_?' Snowfire asked in an irritated tone. The looks she received were hilarious. Snowfire did have a good point though. Something told me that this was only the beginning of the threats we'd be facing out there.

Meanwhile Hiccup had rolled out the map once more and was reading it out loud, "At the edge of the world, amidst the raging sea, in the serpent's mouth lies another key."

"Serpents!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "I hate serpents. They're reptiles, right?" I smirked at the look of fear in his eyes. Snakes weren't too bad, as long as you gave them plenty of space. Usually they're more afraid of you than you are of them.

"You do realize that you're sitting on one, right?" Ruffnut asked with a roll of her eyes. Tuffnut jumped in surprise when he realized that she was right.

"Hey, that cloud looks like a serpent," Snotlout said, pointing towards a cloud.

"Yeah, and in a few minutes it'll look like a bunny," Astrid retorted.

"I'm not even sure Hamish could put a key in the air, unless he had magic or something," I added.

"Wait a minute!" said Hiccup as he looked at the map closely. "He might be on to something. 'In the mouth lies the key'." Hiccup then looked at the map once more. "Look right there!" He pointed to yet another oddly shaped sea stack. This one was twisted like a serpent and had an opening at the top. "Let's go!" he said while mounting Toothless.

"Whoa, whoa! Are you crazy?" Fishlegs demanded, stopping Hiccup just as he was ready to take off. "You can't take a Night Fury with a large wingspan of forty eight feet and expect him to hover over winds like that! You'll be killed!"

' _He is right_ ,' Snowfire murmured in agreement. ' _Larger dragons would not have an easy time in those winds_.'

"So I guess that leaves the rest of us out," I muttered crossly. Then I eyed Meatlug curiously. She didn't have overly huge wings like the others. "What about Meatlug?" Hiccup nodded in agreement as Fishlegs looked at us like we were crazy.

Moments later and he was struggling with Meatlug to reach the sea stack. I watched on as Hiccup had wrapped himself in a rope that dangled haphazardly from Meatlug's saddle. Fishlegs was the only one keeping him from falling in the powerful winds.

"Keep her steady!" Hiccup said in a calm voice.

"Oh Thor!" Fishlegs gasped as he tried to steady himself on Meatlug. "Do we really need that treasure? Isn't our friendship treasure enough?" Apparently not. I folded my arms and silently agreed with Fishlegs on that one.

They flew closer to the sea stack, and inside Hiccup managed to find the key. Or at least that's what I'm assuming. He tried reaching out for the key, but it was still too far away.

"I can't reach it," He said to Fishlegs.

"Okay, we tried. A for effort," Fishlegs said, obviously wanting to leave.

"Hold on!" Before Fishlegs could grasp what he meant, Hiccup started to climb down the rope and stopped before he reached the end. He then began to grab the key with his metal leg. It took a few tries, but he managed to grab it and tossed it up so that he could grab the key with his hand.

"Yes, got it!" Hiccup yelled triumphantly as Fishlegs happily flew away. "How's that for a hiccup?" he asked while eyeing the key.

We flew on to the forest on Berk, ignoring the obvious signs that the treasure map was leading us in different directions. Next thing you know we might end up in the modern world. The thought made me smirk and feel a little uneasy.

Hiccup had placed the two keys together and eyed them curiously.

"Look, they fit together," he said before looking at me. "We must be on the right track."

"Yeah, but it looks like there's still another key we have to find," I pointed out while eyeing the gap between the two keys.

"Hiccup, what are you going to do with your part of the treasure?" Ruffnut asked curiously.

"I'm not really here for the treasure," he replied.

"Great, I get your share!" Snotlout said almost instantly, and everyone else just rolled their eyes.

"You know you don't have to do this," I murmured while looking at Hiccup seriously this time.

"Yeah, try telling that to my dad," he snapped.

Soon we came to a halt after walking through the woods for some time. What blocked our way was a large rock that barred the path. I blinked in surprise when I noticed a section of the wall was set up with blocks of all shapes and sizes.

"This must be the spot," Hiccup announced while glancing at the map for the umpteenth time. "Why else would anyone build a wall in the middle of nowhere?"

"Duh, to keep out the other trees," Tuffnut said with a smirk.

"Well, I've got another one for you," Hiccup said before reading another clue. "The world is right when the stars align. When not in sink, the danger you'll find."

"Stars?" Snotlout demanded. "I'm not waiting out here until night!"

"I don't think he means actual stars," Hiccup told him. "I mean, the water didn't actually turn to bone."

"Until that glacier started to sink," I said under my breath. Hiccup just rolled his eyes before Astrid spoke up.

"Well, what do you think it means, Hiccup?" she asked.

"Why ask him?" Snotlout asked Astrid. "Maybe I know." We all stared at him in silence with raised eyebrows. "I said maybe," he defended himself. "Doesn't mean I do." Fishlegs than climbed off of Meatlug and studied the stone carefully.

"Huh, there's shapes carved into the stones," he realized while trailing his fingers over the carvings.

"Keep a look out for anything shaped like a star," Hiccup ordered as we all climbed off our dragons.

' _This entire journey is pointless_ ,' Snowfire muttered. I nodded in agreement but didn't dare say anything. Hiccup was only doing this because he thought his father would approve of him. I really wanted to punch Stoick in the gut for pushing his son this far.

"Got one!" Snotlout said with a grin. He started pulling out the stone when the wall started to tremble with him still on it.

"Put it back! Put it back!" Fishlegs panicked as Snotlout tried putting it back in the slot.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout tried calling for his dragon, who was watching a leaf fall from a tree. "Hookfang!" When Hookfang finally looked at Snotlout, he pushed the stone back in the slot with his snout, causing the crumbling to stop.

"Okay guys, in sync," Hiccup reminded us. "There must be another star somewhere."

"Up there!" Astrid said, pointing up.

"I'm guessing we have to pull them both out at the same time," I said while eyeing the stones. This was a tricky one.

"Ruff! Tuff!" Hiccup called while looking at the twins.

They nodded and led Barf and Belch over to the wall. Once they gestured towards the two stones, the Zippleback went to work carefully pulling them out. Their teeth latched on to each rock, managing to pull them out at the same time. This time, the wall didn't start to crumble. It was like a tumbling block; pull out one piece and it might fall, but if you pull out the right pieces at the same time, it would be fine.

My eyes widened in disbelief as the movement caused an opening to form in the wall. A small cave was formed, and as we walked inside the wall suddenly sealed itself shut. Toothless started clawing at the wall, but it did no good.

"Looks like we have no choice but to go forward," I said uneasily. Snowfire let out an irritated growl that caused everyone to jump. This cave was spooky as hell. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been in a cave like this.

We started wandering through the cave with our dragons close behind us. All the while Snowfire was keeping an eye out for danger. Her eyes narrowed when we reached what looked like two torches on the wall. Hiccup grabbed one before handing the other to me, after Toothless had lit them of course.

It wasn't long before we reached a room full of pedestals. What surprised me was the fact that there were several objects on these pedestals, each with a different form to look at. My guess was this had something to do with the next clue. Take the wrong object, and the room starts to collapse, or you run into another booby trap.

"So, what now?" Astrid asked.

"Ugh, I'm so hot!" Snotlout complained as he started to sweat. "Is anyone else hot in here? Or is Snowfire just messing with me?" He glared at her as if expecting the temperature to cool down. Snowfire only rolled her eyes and slapped her tail across his face.

"You know, it is getting a bit hot in hear," I had to agree with him on that one. I hadn't realized until now that Astrid and Ruffnut were sweating too.

"I know!" Tuffnut agreed, wiping his forehead. "I'm sweating like a dragon at an eel party."

"Uh, guys, is it just me or is the floor moving?" I eyed the floor suspiciously when I realized something was off.

Hiccup lowered his torch on the ground, only to see rat-like creatures on the floor scurry away from the fire. "Uh, Toothless?" he asked while turning to his dragon. "Mind giving a little light?"

"Uh, what are those?" Jacob asked while staring at the red dragons fearfully.

Toothless shot a plasma blast at the ceiling, revealing what was crawling around us. My eyes widened in amazement when I saw tiny looking fire-like creatures scurrying about. "That's why it's so hot in here!" Fishlegs started to panic. "Fireworm Dragons!"

"Well, this should be fun," I muttered sarcastically.

' _I told you this was a bad idea_ ,' Snowfire scolded all of us. Tuffnut was about to pick one up when Hiccup stopped him just in time.

"Stop! Their skin burns as hot as the sun," he reminded all of us.

"Yeah? But how hot can the sun really be?" I nearly facepalmed when Tuffnut picked up the Fireworm, only to drop it and scream in surprise. "Ouch! Ah!"

At Tuffnut's scream, the whole floor started to glow orange, revealing that there were hundreds of Fireworms all over the place. The dragons started to blow fire on the floor in an attempt to stop the Fireworms. As they did this, I noticed Hiccup and Toothless approaching one of the pedestals.

"Grab them and let's go!" Snotlout yelled.

"No, it's a choice, listen to this guys," Hiccup said while reading the map again. "Something pure and something strong. Look first to yourself and you can't go wrong."

"Strong!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "That must be the one made of iron!"

"But it's not pure!" Astrid retorted. "Take the gold."

"It can't be that easy," I muttered thoughtfully. Meanwhile the dragons were trying to keep the Fireworms at bay, but showing signs of exhaustion. Hookfang had already run out of fire power, but luckily Meatlug and Snowfire stepped in.

"Nothing in life ever is," Jacob added with a knowing smirk.

"It's starting to get really hard to breathe!" Astrid shouted, brushing sweat from her brow.

"That's what it feels like when you're getting roasted alive!" Fishlegs explained and looked down at Hiccup. "You might want to make a decision soon, Hiccup. We don't have much time!"

Some of the Fireworms were making their way to Hiccup, but Toothless managed to scare them off with his fire. Hiccup studied the pedestals before stopping near one with a reflective piece. Once he grabbed it and nothing happened, the Fireworms started to scatter and flee.

I glanced down at the floor in time to see that a sinkhole was forming under my feet. The whole time I had been standing nearby to make sure nothing happened. And of course this had to happen. Looking up I noticed everyone else was on their dragons, but Snowfire and Toothless were still by our sides.

"Alex!" Jacob's cry sounded along with Astrid's.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's cry followed as we both began to fall. Oh this day just kept getting better and better.

...

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Luckily I was able to spot Snowfire in an instant. Toothless was a little harder to see, but I managed to find him standing next to Hiccup. Snowfire provided enough light for me to notice the scratches and bruises all over my arms. But at least we were still alive, barely.

"We have to get out of here, give us some light bud?" Hiccup turned to Toothless, and the Night Fury shot a plasma blast at a large rock that lit it up. "Are you okay?" My eyes widened in mock surprise when Hiccup looked at me.

"Well lets see, I fall down a sinkhole and nearly get myself killed." I looked at my bruised arms and glanced over at Snowfire, who was smirking in amusement at my response. "Yeah, I think I'll live to see another day."

Hiccup just rolled his eyes in annoyance before noticing a small hole in the ground. He knelt down and brushed his hand over the hole before taking out the keys we'd found.

"I wonder," he muttered almost to himself. As he placed the key into the hole and twisted the top, a pedestal rose up from the ground just as a door opened up by the side. "Well, we've gone this far," he said with a shrug.

"So, you do all of this just so that your father will accept you," I began as we made our way to the door. "But why can't it be simpler?" I thought back to how badly I wanted to punch Stoick in the gut for going this far. If he saw Hiccup now he probably would regret that painting.

' _Perhaps the hatchling is doing more than just that_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as Hiccup gave us both a look, the same one that made me smirk. We walked on in awkward silence until the narrow passage opened up to a bridge leading to another room.

What we saw next made us all look around in wonder. It was a room full of treasure. Gold piled up to the wall could be seen as far as my eyes would take me. Even more remarkable was another pedestal placed in front of the treasure. Hiccup picked up the scroll and began to read it out loud.

"This treasure was passed from father to son, I leave it to you, the next worthy one. For only a Hiccup could get this far. From one to another, be proud of who you are." Hiccup stopped and looked at me in disbelief. I only shrugged, having already known that was all true. "That's what you were trying to tell me," he finally understood.

"For the most part, yes," I replied with a sheepish grin. "I've always believed that what matters the most is on the inside, in your heart." Snowfire and Toothless crooned in agreement as Hiccup smiled thankfully.

Then he unraveled the scroll to see what was hidden inside. To our surprise, it was another picture of Hamish the I and Hamish the II. It was nothing like the picture in the Great Hall. The picture here showed that Hamish the II was just as skinny as Hiccup was now.

"Whoa, Hamish the II was a… Hiccup! Just like me!" He glanced at me, grinning from ear to ear as Toothless joined us. "He knew only any one of us could find this place," he added while admiring the mountain of treasure. "Look at all this stuff! I guess being a Hiccup isn't a bad thing after all."

"Told you," I said with a smirk. Hiccup was about to say something when the pedestal started to sink in. Two more suddenly rose up, revealing more objects on top of them. One had a hammer on it, and the other had a quill. "Wow, I guess Hamish the II really had a thing for pedestals," I added. Hiccup let out a sigh and started reading what was inscribed on the pedestals.

"And apparently riddles," he muttered. "In between the body and the mind, a choice must be made on what you find. At this moment you must look to yourself, as only one path will give you true wealth." Hiccup groaned as he tried to recite the riddle once more. "Come on Hamish, you're killing me!"

"Wait, 'at this moment you must look to yourself, as only one path will give you true wealth'," I repeated the last lines and thought for a bit. "He can't possibly mean the treasure, that would be too obvious." Hiccup looked at me in surprise before realizing I was right.

At that moment the walls started to crumble, and we both made a run for the pedestals. Just as the walls started to collapse, we managed to make it out of the room intact. I breathed out a sigh of relief until realizing that we weren't alone anymore.

"Son!" Stoick raced over to Hiccup's side, who was still holding the quill.

"Alex, you okay?" Jacob's question caught me by surprise before I nodded reluctantly.

"Hey dad," Hiccup said as if nothing happened. Stoick wasted no time in giving him a tight hug. I tried not to laugh when Hiccup struggled for air. "Dad, I can't breathe!" he gasped.

"Next time you think of going on an adventure like this, warn me," I muttered after brushing off the dirt from my clothes. Hiccup just smirked at me as everyone ran down the hill to ask questions.

"What happened?" asked Fishlegs.

"Blah blah blah, who cares?" Snotlout said impatiently. "Where's the treasure?"

Hiccup took out the scroll and revealed what was on it. "This is the real son of Hamish the I," he explained with a wry smile.

"That's not treasure!" Snotlout groaned. Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder after realizing why he did all of this.

"To a father it is," he replied and locked gazes with Hiccup. "I never meant for you to feel like you had to do something like this," he apologized.

"I know dad. But I had to do this for myself," Hiccup reassured him.

Stoick smiled as the two hugged each other. It left everyone else feeling both happy and awkward at the same time.

...

Later that day at the Great Hall, Bucket had replaced the old painting with a newer painting of Hiccup and Stoick together.

Instead of the buffed out painting of Hiccup, it showed his true self. The picture of someone who cared for both his people and the dragons. Someone I was willing to risk my life for.

Living up to that Viking expectation was never easy. But at least Hiccup had proven that one didn't need to live that kind of life in order to survive. We could all be our own kind of Viking. And as it turned out, he already was one.

* * *

 **AN: Yay for another new chapter! And this one I fixed a few spelling errors that I missed in the original. Hopefully now it looks better. As for life, did anyone just see the new Big Bang Theory episode, if anyone likes that show? Did anyone totally see that ending coming? I can't resist asking :P I'm a Shamy fan XD**

 **Sil - Indeed they do, and that will definitely show towards the second-last second season's episode. I'm looking forward to writing that ;)**

 **The Silent Fury - No problem, I'm glad to help! And lol, take all the anger you want out on him, he deserves it :P**

 **Wild Cat 124 - Snowfire does like to keep things interesting, doesn't she? As for Jessica, she'll be playing a more important roll in the later episodes I write... she'll probably either surprise everyone, or be something everyone was expecting XD**


	21. Dragon Flower

**Chapter Twenty One**

* * *

" _Maybe He came to you When everything seemed fine Or maybe your world was upside down and hit you right between the eyes, No matter when it happened_  
 _At 7 or 95 Move your feet 'cause you are free, And you've never been more alive You gotta shake, shake, shake, Like you're changed, changed, changed Brand new looks so good on you So shake like you've been changed..._ " - Shake, MercyMe

* * *

As most people have learned by now, Berk is a rather small island in the middle of nowhere. So when the islanders get a taste of something new, they tend to go a little overboard. Unfortunately, that isn't always good.

Everyone was standing around the docks, looking at the sea expectantly. A ship was headed in our direction. Apparently someone important was about to arrive on the island. I didn't have much time to ask who the stranger was, because everyone had rushed over to the docks.

"Trader Johann is here!" Bucket yelled from his fishing boat, he than fell into the ocean as the ship sailed past him.

"So, who exactly is this Trader Johann?" I asked skeptically. Everyone looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. I only folded my arms until Hiccup realized I hadn't been around for that long.

"Oh, right… Sorry," he muttered while rubbing the back of his hair in embarrassment. "Trader Johann is a seafarer who visits the island from time to time," he explained. "He offers all sorts of goods for trade."

"So basically, he's the crazy merchant who haggles with people," Jacob said with a smirk. I nearly elbowed him for that. The people in this world weren't familiar with our worldly terms, besides, they didn't need to know about things like that.

Besides, that would explain why everyone was gathered here. I was curious as to what this Trader Johann guy would have. Maybe he'd heard of the man Alvin was talking about during their escapade. Or he might have something that I might be interested in.

Once Trader Johann had made port, he set down a plank so that everyone could get on board and see what he found this time. He stood on a crate so that everyone could hear him. "Whatever it is you're looking for, I can assure you that I have it!" he yelled. Everyone charged down the docks and started rooting through the crates and boxes.

"It's all mine! I call dibs on everything!" Snotlout announced as he rushed in.

"I've got food of all sorts," Johann started saying. "Spices, exotic animals, works of art, and jewelry. Not to mention knowledge."

"Trader Johann, is this your only book on Botany?" Fishlegs had been digging through a crate until finding what appeared to be a large book. Johann gave him a look of amusement.

"Yes, Mr. Fishlegs, why, it was given to me by the author himself!" he explained with a smile. Fishlegs than pulled out a necklace and dangled it in front of Johann's face.

"How about this?" he asked with a hopeful look. "It's made with dragon's teeth."

"Fair enough, Fishlegs." Johann snatched it almost instantly as Fishlegs scampered off. While everyone else was admiring the 'treasure' and goods that Johann had found, I started wandering around to see what he had.

"Hey... Trader Johann, how much for this dagger?" Jacob was holding a dagger that looked as if it had been made from a dragon's tooth. I eyed it in surprise, wondering how he'd suddenly found interest in a weapon like that.

"Well, it took quite a lot to get that dagger, I'll tell you," the trader replied. "What do you have that's of value to me?"

My eyes widened when Jacob pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. I remembered when his dad had given that coin to him. It was one of those special coins that you'd order on television to commemorate some sort of event, and he'd gotten it as a birthday present.

"How much for this 'gold' coin?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

"Hm..." Trader Johann eyed the coin with interest, but Jacob was holding it up high enough that he couldn't snatch it away. "Fine, we have a deal," he finally muttered.

Most of the stuff he had wasn't all that interesting to me. A few unusual looking chickens were put in a cage, along with some cattle I'd seen in picture books. For the most part I really didn't see anything that I thought was worth the wait. That was when Trader Johann approached me.

"Aye lass, find anything that peeks your interests?" he asked, genuinely curious. I eyed the stuff around me skeptically as more of the villagers started bartering his merchandise.

"Do you have anything dragon related?" I asked warily. Maybe asking about those people wasn't such a good idea. Johann looked at me in surprise before nodding. He disappeared below deck for a few minutes before reappearing with something in his hands.

"This, me lass, is something I found during my journey to Berk," he explained before revealing the object. "I had to fight through a horde of dragons in order to get it, so I hope you have something worth trading."

"Let me see what you have first," I said while folding my arms. Johann chuckled until noticing my serious look.

"Smart girl, I'll give ya that," he muttered while showing what he'd been hiding. My eyes widened when I saw that it was a necklace; the end was carved of some kind of stone. But what really caught my eye was the fact that it was shaped in the wing of a dragon. I couldn't really tell what dragon it was, but I did like it.

"Hm…" I stared at the necklace, all the while a few other Vikings had stopped to barter with Johann, whose eye started twitching as he waited for me to say something. "Alright, what do you want for it?" I asked carefully.

"What've you got on ya?" Johann watched me carefully as I pulled something out of my pocket. It was kind of a risky move, but I figured that no harm would come out of it. The object in my hand was actually a scale. A White Terror scale to be more precise. Snowfire had dropped it a day ago and I thought of how pretty it looked in the sunlight. Johann's eyes lit up at the sight of the scale. "Beautiful," he marveled while trying to reach out.

"Ah," I pulled it away just as he was about to grab it. "Necklace first." Johann gave me a scowl before quickly passing the necklace. I tossed him the scale shortly after and looked at the necklace itself. "Thank you."

"Not bad for your first haggling job," Jacob said with a smirk.

"Not bad yourself; when did you get so good at bartering?" I asked while eyeing the dagger curiously. It really did look like a tooth.

"Remember those 'trips' my dad used to take me on during the summer?" Jacob asked with a sheepish look. I just nodded, having clear memories of being alone during most of those summers. "Well, let's just say that he spent a lot of time visiting pawn shops. I learned from the best."

I couldn't help but laugh at that image. No wonder he'd gotten so good at haggling during the school days.

I turned just in time to see Stoick holding up another sword.

"Wow, another sword," Hiccup muttered as I walked past. "Just what we need."

"If you must know, it's not for me," Stoick explained with a roll of his eyes. "I'm heading off to my yearly meeting with the Chief of Shivering Shores. That man that last came without a gift left without a head." I laughed as he accidentally cut the head off of a figurine. He then turned to Johann, showing off the sword. "Johann, what will you take in trade?"

"Stoick, it is but your good graces that I desire when my humble ship visits Berk," Johann replied with a bow. I only rolled my eyes.

"You're always welcome on the shores of Berk," Stoick bellowed heartily. "I'll be back in five days," he added as he walked off the ship. "What am I saying? I'll be back in two, thanks to Thornado." He mounted the Thunderdrum waiting just off of the docks.

"Ah, you finally named him," Hiccup said. "Thornado huh?"

"That's right! 'Cause he has the power of Thor and the ferocity of a tornado!" Stoick replied. Thornado kept squirming as if he was eager to get going. "And besides, it's the only thing he'll answer to. Turns out he's quite stubborn!"

"Gee, I can't imagine where he gets that from," I muttered under my breath.

"Up Thornado!" Stoick commanded. Thornado let out a roar and took off, soaring high in the sky.

"Ah, men riding dragons," Johann marveled with amazement. "What a magnificent sight." Snowfire than jumped down from the cliff and landed on the beach, startling Johann from his trance.

' _Did you find anything interesting_?' she asked as I approached her casually. I patted her on the head with a smirk before showing off the necklace. She gave it a curious sniff before snorting in annoyance. ' _That trinket has no value to me_!' she said with a growl.

"But it does to me," I replied while putting it on. It really did look pretty, and I was glad Johann had traded it. Snowfire only hummed in amusement before I climbed into her saddle and she took off.

...

We had reached the Dragon Academy just in time to see Tuffnut setting something up. I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully when I saw that it was a new statue.

"How does it look?" asked Tuffnut as he looked up at the tall stone statue.

"Beautiful!" replied Ruffnut as she admired it.

"You got that just for the academy?" Hiccup's voice came from behind. I did have to wonder why the twins would enjoy decorations. Most of their time was spent destroying things rather than giving them some kind of appreciation.

"Yeah, we got it from Trader Johann," Tuffnut explained with a nod. "We have to give him our great-grandfather's skull. We got to keep his clavicle." What was a clavicle? I really didn't know that much about medical stuff, even though my mom worked shifts at the hospital. She never did teach me anything she had learned.

"Wow! You know, it's about time you guys started taking some pride in this place," Hiccup praised them. Something told me that the statue wasn't for decoration.

"Duck!" Tuffnut suddenly yelled.

"What?" Hiccup barely had a chance to respond before Tuffnut pulled him down as Barf and Belch launched a fireball at one of the statues. The statue staggered only a little bit. I was surprised it didn't blow up the second their fire hit it.

"That was awesome!" Snotlout exclaimed. "I wanna take a shot!" He quickly jumped onto Hookfang's neck. "Fire!" he commanded. Hookfang quickly shot a fireball at the statue; it did only did the same thing.

"My turn next!" Jacob shouted as Sniper suddenly fired several shots at it.

Astrid was eager to do some target practice with Stormfly. She signaled her Deadly Nadder to fire her spikes, and Stormfly did as she was told. Spikes were hurtled at the statue, landing above one another in an almost straight line.

"That was awesome!" she said with some excitement. Toothless and Snowfire were eager to try it out as well.

"Wanna try freezing it?" I asked as she stood over me. Snowfire simply nodded in response before trying to fire a shot of ice, only to sneeze. Toothless had tried doing the same, and his sneeze ended up nearly roasting Snotlout. Snotlout screamed as he tried dodging the blasts.

"That's strange," Hiccup remarked.

"Yeah." I rubbed Snowfire's snout as she made a soft crooning sound. "You okay, Snow?" Instead of getting a response like usual, she just stared at me blankly. "Something's wrong; I can't hear her thoughts."

"Maybe she's had enough with you," Astrid suggested with a shrug. I only glared at her before Snotlout finally spoke up.

"Hey! Could you two have your dragons cover their mouths when they sneeze?" Snotlout demanded in an angry voice. Then again Snotlout always sounded like that. I don't think it's possible for him to have a gentle side, unless one counts the times he's alone with Hookfang.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup apologized. "But that's never happened before." He glanced at both Toothless and Snowfire. Snowfire was very similar to a Night Fury. It could be possible that if Toothless was sick, than maybe she had gotten the same sickness. Snowfire only snorted and rolled her eyes at our concern, while Toothless looked at us sheepishly.

"I wonder if they're sick?" I asked. But they didn't sneeze fire or ice this time, and seemed okay. I was still worried though when Snowfire didn't speak to me. She only made a crooning sound before gesturing towards the gate, as if asking to fly around for a bit.

Luckily we did just that after Astrid went off to fly on Stormfly. Everything seemed perfectly fine as we flew around the island. Maybe I was worrying for nothing and Snowfire was just tired. Or she was annoyed with something I did. Wouldn't be the first time she was annoyed and didn't say anything.

"Look at those flowers!" Astrid suddenly pointed out a bush of flowers we were approaching. "They're beautiful." My heart nearly skipped a beat when both Toothless and Snowfire started acting strange again. Both dragons started to falter in mid-flight, startling us both. "Whoa! Hey, what are you doing?" Astrid demanded as the two of us almost collided with Stormfly.

"Do you really think I'd want to crash into you?" I snapped while trying to keep Snowfire calm. Something was definitely wrong here. She didn't usually falter in her flight unless she was startled.

"It's not me!" Hiccup added. "Uh, okay, Toothless," he said nervously. By now Toothless' flight was becoming unstable.

It was like something had suddenly possessed both dragons as they lost focus. Their struggle to stay airborne was really starting to scare me. I had almost forgotten about what happened in my world until now, and it only brought back painful memories.

"Brace for impact!" Hiccup shouted as we both started to crash. Once the dust had settled Hiccup checked to make sure Toothless was okay, while I was still struggling to stand up. "Toothless, are you alright?" Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless' snout as he crooned in response.

I checked on Snowfire shortly after, getting the same reaction. "I wish you could tell me what was wrong," I sighed as she pressed her forehead to mine. She wasn't hurt, but I could _feel_ that something wasn't right.

"Maybe he and Snowfire have colds or something," Hiccup suggested warily. "Do dragons get colds?" I helped Snowfire back to her feet and shook my head.

"I don't know," I admitted with a shrug. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Whoa!" Astrid jumped off of Stormfly as she landed nearby. "Look at that!" She was pointing to a Terrible Terror who looked just as sick as Toothless and Snowfire. "Well, whatever it is, looks like he got it too."

I gently picked up the little dragon before stroking it's spines carefully. "Poor little guy," I murmured sympathetically. "We need to bring them to Gobber, I'm sure she'll have something that can help them. If worse comes to worse than we'll need to consult with Gothi." Hiccup nodded in agreement before returning to Toothless' side.

"Okay, come on Toothless, time to get you back to the house," Hiccup coaxed Toothless forward as the Night Fury stumbled towards him on weak legs. Snowfire slowly but surely did the same while I held the Terrible Terror.

It took us longer to get back on foot, especially with two sick dragons slowing us down. Not that I didn't mind. I was just as worried as Hiccup about Snowfire. She hadn't spoken to me once since this morning.

Luckily Astrid had gotten Gobber to pay us a visit. He came back to the Haddock house with a remedy in his hand. I eyed the cauldron skeptically when I saw the look the dragons gave him. Clearly they were not going to enjoy this.

"This'll fix 'em right up," Gobber proclaimed.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked warily.

"It's best not to ask," he replied. "And whatever you do, don't touch it." He set the cauldron with a vile-smelling green goop down. Toothless and Snowfire sneezed all over and splashed Gobber with it. "Well, that's ruined! I'll never get that yak to vomit again."

"There was _yak vomit_ in that?" I nearly yelled with a horrified look. Hiccup was ready to ask the same thing when Astrid suddenly came bursting in, looking more worried than anything else.

"Hiccup! You've gotta see this," she breathed out. I rolled my eyes when she didn't bother saying my name. Hiccup took no notice of it though as he left the house, with me following shortly after. What we saw next stopped us in our tracks. Snowfire and Toothless weren't the only sick dragons around here.

Both Hookfang and Sniper were flying around in lazy circles. Snotlout was shouting as he tried to control his dragon, while Jacob had finally managed to land Sniper without crashing face-first.

"Help her, Hiccup and Alex! She's sick! Whoa, and I'm about to be!" Fishlegs gulped; his face started turning pale as Meatlug had trouble flying straight. The twins on their Zippleback flew right past, yelping as Barf and Belch took wild turns they usually didn't.

"Hiccup, what are we going to do?" I asked when I realized that the sickness was spreading fast. "Even I don't know about healing sicknesses." Hiccup looked just as afraid as I felt and was looking for an answer. Suddenly Gobber spoke up from behind us.

"Gothi! She'll know what to do!" Gobber went off to fetch the elder while we looked after the dragons.

"I've never seen anything this bad," Jacob muttered as he rubbed Sniper's neck. "The poor guy is struggling to move." I rested a hand on his snout, the Monstrous Nightmare growling softly at my touch.

"There has to be something we can," I murmured thoughtfully. There was no way in hell I'd let anything happen to these dragons. Not if there was something that could be done about it.

Gobber returned moments later with the elderly woman. Gothi went to work immediately looking over Toothless. Snowfire had put up so much of a fuss that we had to hide her in the house for now. But as Gothi started checking Toothless over, all of us gathered to discuss the issues concerning our dragons. All the while Hiccup stayed by Toothless' side to make sure she didn't hurt him, or the other way around.

"I've heard Gothi can tell when you're gonna die just by looking at your fingernails," Astrid murmured. Fishlegs' eyes widened in horror before he quickly put his hands behind his back.

"Ah, that's an old wives' tale," Gobber told them, then smirked at Fishlegs when his tongue was sticking out. "She looks at your _tongue_." Fishlegs than looked at Gobber before putting it back into his mouth.

Gothi stood up and hobbled over to her staff so that she could scribble into the dirt. Apparently that was the only way she could communicate. I wasn't sure if she was mute or if she just chose not to talk at all. Either way it did kind of creep me out.

"She says the dragons are reacting ta something," Gobber explained as she scribbled down random words. Random to me, but oddly enough everyone else could read them. "Like they're allergic."

"Allergic to what?" Hiccup asked while kneeling next to Toothless. Gothi kept scribbling in the dirt while Gobber squinted his eyes to see and read slowly.

"To… a moose… wearin' boots. Shouldn't be too hard to find," Gobber said. Then Gothi whacked him in the face with her staff and scowled at him. "Don't think that was right," he muttered while rubbing his jaw.

"Let me try," Hiccup suggested. Luckily he was able to read the scribbles as well, "they're allergic to something new that just came on the island!"

"I still think that looks like a moose," Gobber muttered. Gothi rolled her eyes and whacked him over the head again.

"Well, there are a lot of new things on the island," I pointed out. Everyone started looking nervous as I went on, "that Trader Johann guy was just here." Gothi nodded and started writing again.

"She says ta get rid of everything immediately," Gobber read in a grim voice. "Otherwise things are gonna to get worse. The dragons are going to get sicker."

Well, this news just kept getting better and better. I couldn't imagine what led the dragons to getting sick. But whoever was responsible for it was in for a nasty shock.

...

Later that day, we were all gathered at the edge of a cliff overlooking a pit. We'd dug it up earlier before the villagers started to line up. Everyone had the stuff they bought from Trader Johann. I was reluctant to get rid of the necklace I bartered off of him, and it looked like I wasn't the only one.

"I know, this is hard, guys, but I promised you you're doing a good thing," Hiccup assured everyone staring at the pit reluctantly. "You're helping out the dragons."

"It's the least we can do for them," I added.

"Goodbye beautiful," Snotlout sniffed as he looked at his mirror. Then he threw it into the pit with everyone else.

"What are you doing?" Ruffnut demanded, glaring at Fishlegs as he started flipping through the pages in his book. "Throw it in!"

"I'm sorry, but this botany book is a real page-turner!" he explained. "I have to know how it ends!"

With a grunt, Ruffnut tore it out of his grasp and threw the book into the pit. Fishlegs let out a sob as he watched the book sank down into the pit.

"And I was just learning how to use one too," Jacob grumbled as he dropped the dagger into the pit.

"Well, so much for holding on to this," I muttered as I took off the necklace. Once it was tossed into the pit we all looked at Gobber expectantly. "I don't see you throwing anything in," I said in an accusing tone.

"And I thought I saw you buy something from Trader Johann?" Hiccup added while glaring at him accusingly.

"He did it! He bought the silk!" Astrid said, walking up to us.

"Hand it over, Gobber," Hiccup reached out with a hand.

"Can't do that, Hiccup," Gobber told us. "It's uh, currently under use. It's me skivvies. They're glorious!" I tried not to smirk at the expression on his face.

"Gobber!" I said, glaring at him.

"Fine!" Gobber sighed in frustration before walking over to a boulder. Seconds later and a pair of purple underpants went flying out and into the pit. Gobber than walked out and pulled up his pants, whistling as though nothing had happened.

"I could have gone my entire life without seeing that," Hiccup muttered.

"You and me both," I nodded in agreement.

...

During the following morning I woke up to find that Snowfire wasn't in much better condition. I let out a sigh and knelt down to check her temperature. It had felt off yesterday when we were in the field of flowers, but seeing her now only made me feel more worried.

She barely moved a muscle as I stood back up.

"Don't worry girl," I murmured as I rubbed her back. She was curled up on the stone slab, the sight more pitiful than I could've imagined. "I promise that I'll find out who did this. And when I do, I'll let you bite their head off."

To my surprise she actually moved a little at that. I let out another sigh before heading out to see how the others were fairing. Maybe someone had discovered the reasons behind the dragons getting sick. Or once again my hope was just wishful thinking.

"I don't like this," Jacob muttered as we approached the others. "Even in our world I've never seen anything like this."

"That's what bothers me," I added under my breath. "Dragons are completely different from anything we've ever seen or learned about. I think even the vets would have a hard time figuring out this problem."

"We got rid of everything from Trader Johann," Fishlegs fretted once we were all gathered. "But our dragons aren't getting better, they're getting worse!"

"Yeah, Snowfire could barely move this morning." My voice was barely a whisper. It was weird not having someone to talk to during the night. Having Snowfire by my side had become almost a habit. And a good one at that.

"Let's make a list," Hiccup said while counting his fingers. "Maybe there's someone who bought something from Trader Johann and hasn't thrown it into the pit," he suggested.

"Yeah, there must be someone who didn't give up something they bought," Astrid said, shooting me an icy look.

"Why are you glaring at me?" I demanded angrily. "I gave up what I bought, Hiccup was right next to me the whole time."

"She's right on that one," Hiccup added. Astrid only narrowed her eyes before looking away in annoyance.

"What's her problem?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Jealousy issues," I mouthed to him. Jacob only smirked at that.

"If I find out who's done this, I'm going to be so mad! Hookfang was so sick last night. I was up all night scraping dragon barf off our walls!" Snotlout was seething with frustration as he leaned against said dragon.

"Yeah, well ours is dead!" Tuffnut said. Astrid gasped and we all stared at him in horror. "Just kidding. But he isn't that fun anymore." He looked at the sleeping Barf and Belch as if to prove a point. I only rolled my arms at the remark.

"He just sits there! He doesn't blow anything up!" Ruffnut added. There was a sudden roar as Stoick and Thornado returned at Hiccup's house.

"Hiccup!" Stoick called once he landed. "Put this in the Book of Dragons: 'Never fly on a stomach full of undercooked mutton.' The Shivering Shores will never be the same." That was when he noticed something was wrong. "What is it, Hiccup?" he asked in a voice full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's the dragons, dad," Hiccup explained. "They're sick."

"And getting worse," I added.

"Every dragon? Even Snowfire?" Stoick looked at me in surprise as I nodded.

"Yeah, every dragon… I wish there was something I could do about it," I said.

...

I was sitting outside on my steps while letting Snowfire get some rest. She was so sick that she had slept for most of the day, and was still fast asleep. Things were starting to look grim as even Thornado let out a loud sneeze.

"Sneezing, that's the first symptom," I heard Hiccup say. Stoick had to pull him aside when Thornado sneezed. The force of it was strong enough to send a sonic boom across the plaza.

"But he was just fine until we got back!" Stoick said. To my surprise he was actually worried about Thornado. The Thunderdrum was laying on his side, looking more pitiful than anything else.

"We should retrace your steps," Hiccup suggested, and Stoick nodded in agreement. I stood up and quickly made my way to where Stoick had landed. Much to my surprise the others were gathered there as well.

"Well, this is where I landed," Stoick said, looking around.

"Maybe we should try looking for anything out of the ordinary," I suggested with a shrug.

"Does that count?" Fishlegs asked, pointing. All of us looked in that direction to see the twins crouch onto all fours, than leap at each other, their helmets crashing with a loud clang. What the heck was wrong with those two?

"I'm seeing stars!" Ruffnut said.

"No way, me too!" Tuffnut added.

"Hmm, nothing unusual here," Astrid said. Then she noticed that Hiccup was staring at something. "What is it?"

I had noticed it as well. It was faint, but loud enough for me to recognize the call of a Terrible Terror beyond the twins. I peered over Fishlegs' shoulder in time to see it sniffing a bush full of blue flowers. The same ones we had landed in when our dragons got sick.

We walked over to investigate the unusual plant. I've actually always appreciated nature, but from a safe distance. But even I knew something was odd about these flowers. The leaves were broad and covered the entire plant. The flowers were blue, darkening into my favorite color, purple, at the edges, with five petals and a white center.

"Does anyone remember seeing these flowers before?" Hiccup asked, picking one for everyone to see.

"Actually I did see them yesterday before we crashed," I admitted guiltily. "I didn't think much of it because I thought that's where they belonged."

"And they were here when I got back," Stoick added.

"It looks an awful lot like a Blue Oleander," Fishlegs said while looking at the flower curiously. "I recognize it from my botany book, chapter eight."

"Is there anything specific you can remember from it?" Hiccup asked.

"They're very pretty, very soft, perennial, and…" Fishlegs' face turned from a look of fascination to dread. "… and very poisonous to reptiles," he finished.

"Which means poisonous to dragons!" I gasped in realization. Fishlegs dropped the flower in horror.

"This is serious," Hiccup added. "Did your book say anything about a cure?"

"I don't know," Fishlegs replied. "I didn't get to finish because _somebody_ made me throw it in the pit."

"Well than we have to dig it up!" Hiccup ordered. Fishlegs than ran over to the pit and started to dig it up.

"I don't understand," I murmured while looking at the flowers. "Where did these flowers come from?"

"Mildew," Tuffnut replied. We all turned to look at him in surprise. "I saw him plant them the other day," he explained with a shrug.

"And you didn't think that was strange?" Astrid demanded.

"No!" Tuffnut retorted. "Well, maybe… I don't know! Quit pressuring me!" he yelled, turning away uncomfortably.

There was a loud sneeze from Thornado, that sent the Oleander leaves flying, even from this distance. "Then let's go pay the old man a visit, shall we?" Stoick suggested.

We wasted no time in reaching Mildew's house. I stood next to Hiccup as Stoick pried out Mildew when the old man refused to answer the door. He really did have to make things worse, didn't he? Of course he would be behind the dragons getting sick.

"So what if I planted a few flowers?" Mildew protested once Stoick was finished interrogating him. "The town's square never looked better! I was merely trying to spread beauty and happiness."

"Since when do you care about happiness?" I demanded, folding my arms and glaring at him.

"You did this," Hiccup said in an accusing tone.

"I… what…" Mildew stuttered, clearly outraged at the accusation. "I had no inkling, Stoick, that these flowers had special properties. Now it's no secret that I'm no friend to the dragons, but in this case, on me life, I was not trying to harm them."

"I'd sooner believe that pigs fly than believe your story," I snapped. Mildew's glare became icy as he looked at me.

"And we never did find out who blew up the armory," Hiccup put in with a glare of his own.

"You have no proof that I did it," Mildew retorted.

"Let's go," Stoick ordered. As we started walking out of the house, I noticed that Mildew was smirking triumphantly.

"Ah those poor dragons," he said with a grin.

As we made our way back to the forge, my fists balled up with anger. I knew that Mildew was the one behind this. We just didn't have enough proof. If I could I would've let Snowfire bite his head off right than and there.

Fishlegs had entered the forge just as we got there, gasping for breath. I didn't miss the fact that he had found his botany book either, much to everyone's relief.

"Fishlegs, you found your botany book," Hiccup said in a voice full of hope.

"What does the book say?" I asked. Fishlegs was gasping for breath, and it didn't take long for us both to realize that he was hyperventilating. "Calm down," I said slowly. Fishlegs swallowed and took a deep breath before finally speaking again.

"My botany book says that the Blue Oleander is poisonous to reptiles!" he nearly shouted. The tears on his face made me roll my eyes; that was something we already established. "Dragons are reptiles!"

"We know, Fishlegs! Was there anything else?" Hiccup asked, obviously feeling exasperated. Fishlegs was still hyperventilating but managed to calm down enough to talk again.

"Not in here!" he replied, closing the book. While he was holding on to his book, I noticed the Book of Dragons and picked it up. There was something that could be useful in here, but I couldn't quite remember exactly where I found it.

"Isn't there a dragon that feeds on the Blue Oleander?" I asked while flipping through the pages. Finally I stopped at the Scauldron. I placed the book on a desk as everyone gathered to read the info.

The Scauldron was a Tidal Class dragon. It was huge with a whale-like body, a round belly and snake-like head. In all it reminded me of the Loch Ness Monster. It had a pelican-like pouch under it's jaw, and it's wings and tail reminded me of a fish's fin.

"If it eats the flowers than it's possible to make an antidote," I explained. "But does the Scauldron have venom?"

"Good thing you can read Norse," Jacob added in a whisper. I only smirked in agreement, once again thankful that Hiccup had the patience to teach me.

"Aye!" Gobber joined us right at that moment, walking up to the desk where I had the book placed. "I've dealt with Scauldron's before. They're sixty feet long with razor-sharp teeth! They shoot boiling water ta melt the flesh of your bones! The Scauldron has no fear, no conscience, but what it does have is venom, and lots of it!"

"Well, I'd say that's convincing enough," I said after closing the book. "Who's ready to fish up a dragon?"

"I'm out," Tuffnut said, walking away.

"I'm with him," Ruffnut added.

"You guys stay here and take care of the dragons," Hiccup told them. "Just try and make the comfortable."

"Be careful with Snowfire," I put in with a smirk. "She might accidentally mistake you for Mildew." The twins exchanged anxious looks before shrugging.

"What are you two going to do?" Fishlegs asked nervously.

"Dad, Gobber, let's go find ourselves a Scauldron," Hiccup said while looking at them.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Gobber exclaimed with a smile.

"Wait, you're seriously going after this thing?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"If it means helping the dragons, than yes," I replied, determination suddenly washing over me. I knew that if anyone could find a cure, it was Hiccup. He cared more about the dragons than anyone else I'd ever met.

I quickly returned to my room so that I could get ready. Snowfire was still laying on her side, her breathing faint. I placed a hand on her shoulder before taking a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy, especially when we tried coming up with an antidote. But I wasn't going to let her or any of the dragons die.

"Everything will be fine," I reassured her in a soft voice. "I promise."

Snowfire stirred only a little as I picked up a few things. I'd managed to find a knife that I could defend myself with and hid it where only I would find it. Seconds later I made sure that everything else was in order before heading to the boat.

What I saw next caught me by surprise. Stoick had forced Mildew on to the ship, along with a pile of Blue Oleander flowers. I tried not to smirk as Gobber blocked the only exit Mildew had. Jacob stood not far away, his arms folded.

"You'll be careful out there, right?" he asked as I approached him.

"It's not me I'm worried about," I murmured sheepishly, glancing at Hiccup and the others. "Look, if anything does happen, just keep an eye on Snowfire. I know she seems angry most of the time, but she really does care."

"You know, you've changed since we first arrived here," Jacob admitted. I looked at him in surprise before he continued, "I mean, I never thought I'd see you flying on the back of a dragon. Or fighting for them, for that matter. Maybe staying here was the better choice."

I could only grin in agreement to that. I hadn't realized how much he was right about that. Back in our world I didn't have very many friends. Now it seemed as if I'd formed my own little circle. True Snotlout could be annoying, but I still considered him a friend as well.

"Alex, you coming?" I turned in time to see that everyone was ready. I gave Jacob one last look before heading to the ship.

"But this is an outrage!" Mildew complained as I got on board. "I dug up the flower, I did my part!" But Stoick only folded his arms and glared at Mildew.

"We're all out here because of you, Mildew!" he snapped. "If we have to put our lives at risk, than so do you!" The glare Mildew gave him almost made me laugh. If it was me leading the village, I would've slugged him right than and there.

"You have no proof, Stoick!" Mildew retorted. "You can't blame me for every time something goes amiss with your precious dragons!" Stoick wasn't swayed as Mildew glared him in the eye.

"You know, I wouldn't want to be on the island right now if I were you," I piped in with a grin. Mildew turned to glare at me this time.

"Oh, and why is that?" he demanded.

"Well, because everyone had to throw away all of the things they got from Trader Johann," I began. Mildew's face fell when realization dawned on him. "And they might not be too happy knowing that you were the cause of that."

"Alright Stoick, what's your plan?" Gobber asked while holding on to a bucket. Stoick turned so that he was facing both me and Hiccup.

"Hiccup, when Gobber and I secure the Scauldron's head, Sven will wedge it's jaw open. We'll need you and Alex to—"

"To drain the poison into the bucket, got it," Hiccup finished with a nod. "Let's get started." I nodded in agreement before rushing over to the ledge in order to drop the sack of Blue Oleanders into the ocean down below.

"This is what the Scauldron likes to eat," I murmured almost to myself. "Hopefully it'll draw them in like sharks to chum." I shuddered at the memory of watching documentaries on sharks. Worst two hours of school I'd had.

Hiccup had put down the bucket and helped me pour the flowers into the ocean, watching as they floated under the boat. Hours seemed to pass and nothing had happened. Of course being stuck on a boat with the old man I practically hated didn't help.

"This will never work!" Mildew started complaining again. "This was a stupid idea to begin with!" Hiccup looked like he was ready to smack Mildew upside the head, and I couldn't blame him.

"Easy you two," Stoick suddenly scolded when he noticed the glares we were giving. "That's not why we're here." Technically the bastard is the reason we're here.

"But that is," Gobber said, pointing down to the water. We all looked down in time to see a luminous green-blue monster swimming around just below the ship.

"Scauldron!" Stoick breathed. It's tail broke the surface just behind the boat with a rippling, splashing sound. Then it's head rose above the surface with an eerie sound that was similar to that of a humpback whale.

"I may need to change my skivvies again," Gobber muttered nervously.

"We need to lure the Scauldron on deck!" Hiccup cried while spreading the flowers everywhere.

"Oh that's just great, get it on ship where it can eat us all!" Mildew yelled.

"We could just throw you overboard," I suggested. Thankfully Mildew fell silent after that.

"Gobber, you secure it's neck with this," Stoick ordered while tossing him a rope. "I'll lasso it's horn!" The two men ran over to the bow of the boat, ready for anything.

What we weren't ready for was it to suddenly disappear. A full minute went by before we all started to get nervous. I feel like something like this happened right before an attack. Sea creatures were known to be ambush predators, especially sharks and dolphins.

"Where did it go?" Gobber asked.

The next few minutes had gone by the same way. But suddenly Sven's (another Viking we had taken with us), ore was taken away and dragged into the water. My heart nearly skipped a beat when something rammed into the ship.

"Everyone hold on to something!" Hiccup shouted. I was quick to grab hold of a pole as the Scauldron hit the boat again. This time though it was thrown into the air for a few seconds before landing with a mighty crash. Water whipped up on the sides of the boat as waves were picked up from the Scauldron's passage.

I held back a cry of shock as we were all thrown to the deck. As Mildew picked himself up, the Scauldron's head popped out of the water. The moment Mildew saw it he started screaming and scrambled to his feet so that he could run away.

The Scauldron rose higher above us, holding on to the ship with it's legs. It's legs caused the ship to sway violently, and we all began to lose our balance as the incline increased rapidly.

"Hiccup, I gotcha!" Gobber said as he grabbed Hiccup with his free hand, while his hook latched on to the wood. As I came tumbling past I grabbed Hiccup by the foot, careful not to hurt him.

As the Oleanders were scattered everywhere, the Scauldron started to eat as many as it could. It was amazing that a dragon could actually eat those things without getting sick.

"Gobber, here's our chance!" Stoick yelled. He and Gobber slid down towards the Scauldron, then snagged its horn and neck, and finally dragged it onto deck. It screeched in response. It's body started to slip down into the water, giving the boat a chance to right itself.

The Scauldron had managed to temporarily overpower Stoick and Gobber. It retreated into the water, but was quickly pulled back on deck, which caused the ship to level out. The Scauldron tried returning to the water, but Gobber and Stoick used all of their strength to make sure that it stay put.

"We can't let that dragon get back into the water!" Stoick shouted as he and Gobber pulled at the ropes. "Sven, we need that barrel now!" The Viking in question quickly ran towards the Scauldron's snapping jaws.

"I've got the bucket!" I called while grabbing the bucket.

"Careful, Alex!" Stoick shouted once again. "You don't want to get that venom in you."

"Yeah, no kidding!" I snapped. The Scauldron suddenly let out a roar, and Sven used the opportunity to throw a barrel into its maw. The Scauldron growled in frustration when it couldn't close it's mouth. But just as soon as the barrel was thrown into place, the Scauldron managed to crush it with massive force.

"Sven, watch out!" The Scauldron had started to raise it's tail while Sven was still standing there, gaping in shock. The tail swatted Sven into the air, and moments later he sank into the water. The tail vanished for a moment, before reappearing seconds later right behind us. "Son, Alex, watch out!"

"Dad!" Hiccup cried out when the Scauldron brought it's tail to the mast. Stoick grabbed it without hesitation, managing to trap the Scauldron's tail.

"I've got the tail!" Stoick told us.

"Hiccup, Alex, grab Stoick's line!" Gobber ordered.

I put down the bucket and grabbed the rope still dangling from the Scauldron's horn, Hiccup doing the same. We pulled down with as much strength as we could muster.

"Pull it in! Use the mast to wedge it's jaw open," Stoick added. Finally we managed to pull it up towards the mast. The Scauldron's mouth was trapped by a thick piece of wood. Mildew suddenly found himself getting uncomfortably close to both sets of it's sharp fangs. "Mildew, grab the bucket!" Stoick snapped as Mildew stared on in horror.

"Hold on," Mildew began to protest, "it's one thing to—"

"Grab the bucket or I'll throw you overboard myself!" Stoick yelled furiously. He was hanging on to the mast with all his strength while the rest of us did the same. And let me tell you, this wasn't easy. My muscles were already screaming in protest.

Mildew grumbled under his breath while reaching for the bucket, but before he could get closer, steam began to escape from the Scauldron's mouth.

"Everyone take cover!"

We all dropped our ropes and hid ourselves behind a stray shield. Mildew rushed underneath an empty crate as the Scauldron released boiling water from it's jaws. The scalding hot water had washed over everything in front of it, but luckily no one was caught in it's path.

Unfortunately for Stoick, the mast snapped and he fell into the water. Hiccup tried to run over but Gobber stopped him just in time. The ropes holding the Scauldron suddenly snapped, and of course everything went from bad to worse as Mildew took one look at it. The Scauldron let out a fearsome roar that sent Mildew screaming and running around the boat like he was the insane one.

I tried not to smirk when I noticed a Blue Oleander stuck to Mildew's pants. The Scauldron had noticed it as well and licked it's lips. Without warning it lunged down and snapped it's jaw around his rear. Mildew howled in pain and fell to the floor while I struggled to hold back a fit of laughter. Once the Scauldron had enough it sank back into the water, taking with it our only chance to get the venom.

"It's gone," Hiccup murmured as we reached the bow of the ship. Gobber helped Stoick back up when he was climbing the side of the ship, looking more relieved than anything else.

"And you can bet that the last place he'll be is this ship," Gobber added as he and Stoick joined us.

"We didn't get the venom," Stoick added.

"Actually, Mildew has some of the venom in his butt," I said, much to my chagrin. Hiccup smirked as Mildew howled in pain, clutching his rear end.

"Get this poison out of me!" Mildew screamed.

"Oh, we will," Hiccup promised as I laughed. Mildew just looked at us with a look of alarm when he realized what Hiccup meant by that.

...

It was later that night we arrived on Berk. We were all gathered outside listening to Mildew scream in pain as the venom was taken out of his sorry ass. I was struggling not to laugh, mostly because the stress of today had finally gotten to me. Knowing that Mildew was in that amount of pain was more reassuring than I realized.

"Can you believe we're just standing out here waiting for something to come out of Mildew's butt?" Tuffnut asked. His eyes held a spark of mischief in them as we all waited eagerly for the antidote.

"That's the sound of our dragons getting better," I said after catching my breath.

"Are you actually enjoying this?" Astrid asked with the slightest smirks.

"Hey, considering what the asshole did to our dragons, he deserves every bit of this punishment," I replied. Jacob only grinned at that, obviously he was enjoying it as well.

A few more minutes of this had passed before Gobber emerged from the forge. His face was full of disgust as we all looked at him expectantly.

"I've got the antidote!" Gobber exclaimed after emerging from the forge. Everyone cheered and let out sighs of relief. Then he shuddered as memories of what just occurred took place.

"I've watched a Nadder's spine slice right through a man's eyeball like a grape, I watched me own hand get devoured by a Monstrous Nightmare. But never, _never_ have I ever seen anything so disturbing as that old man's behind!" Gobber made a face like he was about to throw up. "I'm going into the forest to scream."

"Way to take one for the team, Gobber!" Hiccup called as he left.

I spent most of the night making sure that all of the dragons on the island had gotten the antidote, along with Snowfire. It was an exhausting night, and I practically passed out right than and there. But Snowfire had started to stir, hummed in amusement when her eyes opened.

' _It is good to see you, little hatchling_ ,' she crooned happily. I breathed out a sigh of relief and rested a hand on her head.

"I'm glad you're back," I whispered while grinning from ear to ear. Snowfire weakly brushed her tail across my hair, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. For once, everything seemed right.

...

The next morning it seemed as if Snowfire had made a full recovery. She was eating a basket full of fish while I wrote down in my journal what had happened. This last week I'd learned a few things about dragons. One was that when they got sick, they really got sick. And their riders would do everything they could to make them feel better.

A deadly flower, a venomous flower, and Mildew's ass. Three things we thought we'd never have to deal with in one day. But I am willing to do anything to keep the dragons safe, even if it means risking my own life.

* * *

 **AN: Hi everyone! How's life treating you? So it's been crazy warm here on the East Coast over the last few weeks... I was wondering how it is for all my fellow writers? This El-Nino is nice, but I'd love to have a white Christmas... Anywho, onto review replies XD**

 **Sil - Just someone else who can keep him in line :P**

 **CatoonLoverBecky - I wouldn't necessarily call them superpowers, but I suppose they could be. And I will say that he is an OC... I'm not even sure how I would incorporate her father being a character from the series Oo**

 **Guest - Thanks!**


	22. Heather Report, Part I

**Chapter Twenty Two**

* * *

" _Giants think the world is their, Well I got a hand full of magic beans And there's a rain that's in my head, and if you want a storm come dance with me Well don't ask me, don't ask me to change, It's Up 2 U..._ " - Up 2 U, WALK THE MOON

* * *

There are things about myself that I am only just beginning to learn. Like the fact that I can somehow bond with dragons almost immediately. And that I'm from another world. But I've realized that there is still so much to learn, and my emotions were one of those things.

Hiccup and Toothless were high up in the air as the other teen Vikings were gathered at the academy. It was just another day of testing, and this time we all wanted to break our speed records. So far Hiccup and Toothless were still the second fastest. Snowfire had beaten them both with ease, and she made sure that they knew it.

' _I doubt those two would ever match my agility_ ,' she hummed as the two zoomed past a second time. I simply smirked and patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. After nearly losing her a few days ago, there was no way I would argue.

"Here they come!" Astrid yelled to Fishlegs as he worked with the sundial. His eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at all of us. Meanwhile Toothless landed on the arena floor with ease, crooning as the other dragons greeted him.

"Yep, a new course record," he replied with a grin.

"How'd I do?" Hiccup asked once he hopped off.

"Another new course record," I replied.

"But someone, and I'm not going to mention who, is gaining significant ground," Fishlegs said while looking down at his notepad. I only folded my arms when I saw who that someone was. Hiccup looked at the twins skeptically when Tuffnut shrugged.

"Don't look at us," he muttered.

"How can that be? How can Toothless be getting slower?" Hiccup asked. Meanwhile Astrid was rubbing Stormfly's neck as the Nadder looked around uneasily.

"He's not," Fishlegs replied. "Stormfly's getting faster." Fishlegs showed him the times as if to prove a point. Hiccup folded his arms and looked at Astrid accusingly.

"Really, is that so?" Astrid only smirked as Hiccup eyed her curiously. "Anything you'd like to share, Astrid?"

"Let's just say that I've been experimenting with what she eats," Astrid said in a smug voice. "Apparently, it's working and making you mad." She smirked as Stormfly burped out a burst of fire. Snowfire took one sniff and recoiled at the scent.

' _It reeks of chicken_ ,' she growled. Astrid glared at Snowfire before looking at Hiccup sheepishly. I tried not to laugh as Stormfly looked away, as if embarrassed by Snowfire's accusation. ' _I am not a fan_ ,' she muttered crossly. That was when Snotlout decided to join us, with Hookfang landing in the center of the arena.

"You are not gonna believe what I found!" he exclaimed with his arms folded triumphantly.

"A severed head?" Tuffnut guessed.

"Our cousin Lars?" Ruffnut put in.

"Our cousin Lars' severed head?" Tuffnut asked excitedly.

"Who's Lars?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lars died?" Fishlegs' eyes widened in horror until Tuffnut looked at him in confusion.

"Who's Lars?" he asked.

"Uh, excuse me! But don't you guys wanna see this or not?" Snotlout demanded, getting annoyed that we were ignoring him.

"Lead the way," I replied, deciding to humor him.

Snotlout just grinned and he and Hookfang headed out, with us following on our dragons. Hookfang and Snotlout had led us to one of Berk's many beaches. What was on the beach surprised everyone.

A boat was washed up on the beach. It was lifted just slightly enough for someone to shelter under, with parts of it missing. Whoever was under there must have suffered from a crash landing. Either that or they got caught in a storm.

"Huh, a wrecked boat on Berk. Yeah, that's something new," Tuffnut said while eying the boat curiously.

"Just remember, I saw it first, so it's mine!" Snotlout reminded us.

"You do realize that it's just a wrecked boat, right? What's so special about it?" I asked skeptically.

Snotlout was only grinning from ear to ear as he showed us what was under the boat. My eyes widened in disbelief when we saw that it was an unconscious girl.

"Whoa, now I like the boat!" Tuffnut said in a dreamy voice.

"Remember, _I_ get to keep her!" Snotlout boasted.

"Snotlout, she's a person," I snapped. I was disgusted with the way Snotlout thought he already owned her. And judging by the look Astrid was giving him, she felt the same way.

"Right? How lucky am I?" he asked in a voice full of excitement.

"You know, there's a name for people like you in my world," I muttered crossly. "But saying it out loud would be incredibly inappropriate here." Hiccup meanwhile, was creeping up to the unconscious girl.

"Uh, hey. Hey there…" He softly shook her awake. The girl groggily opened her eyes and nearly squeaked when she saw so many unfamiliar faces and started to back away. "It's okay. We're friends," he reassured her. The girl coughed a little before speaking for the first time.

"D-Do you have any water?" she rasped.

Hiccup was about to give her a canteen when Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut shoved their way in while fighting over who got to serve her. In the end, Snotlout won.

"Allow me," he said with a triumphant smirk.

"Thank you," she said gratefully before taking a sip. After she drank enough water, she turned to Hiccup once more. "W-Where am I?" she asked warily.

"This is Berk," Hiccup replied. That was when Toothless decided to poke his head in. I tried not to laugh as the girl yelped and scuttled away. "Uh, do-don't be afraid! He won't hurt you! Hey, come out. It's okay." Slowly but surely Hiccup managed to coax the girl out. "Easy bud," he said to Toothless.

"How did you do that?" the girl asked in amazement. I folded my arms when I studied the girl for the first time. She had raven black hair and green eyes. Her clothes were that of a Viking, and nothing unusual really stood out. That was when Snowfire suddenly let out a low growl, causing the girl to gasp in shock.

' _I do not like her stench_ ,' Snowfire hissed. Her words were directed towards the girl, but as usual only I could hear.

"Easy Snow," I murmured while rubbing her snout. Snowfire only let out another growl before brushing her snout against my hand.

"That? That's nothin'. Watch _this_. Hookfang, your butt over here now!" Snotlout shouted to his dragon, who simply ignored his rider and ran away. Snotlout only laughed nervously and tried shaking it off. "He'll be back, the jokester. Oh! And just so you know, _I'm_ the one who rescued you."

"And I would be Hiccup," Hiccup introduced himself after rolling his eyes at Snotlout.

"Heather," the girl replied in a quiet tone.

"So, Heather, what happened to you?" Astrid asked. Heather's face fell and she looked down at the beach.

"My family and I were on our way home to our island when our boat was attacked by pirates," she explained.

"I wanna be a pirate!" Tuffnut suddenly piped in. Everyone gave him weird looks. "O-Or a fish cleaner. Still on the fence."

"You were saying?" Astrid turned back to Heather, gesturing for her to continue.

"They attacked our boat and took us back to our island, laying siege to it," she continued in a grim voice. "I was able to escape but my mother and father; they weren't so lucky." She looked across the ocean with a heavy sigh.

"Stupid pirates!" Tuffnut muttered angrily. "I definitely wanna be a fish-cleaner now."

"I understand a bit of what that's like," I murmured under my breath.

My gaze darkened almost immediately as I thought of my mom and dad. Mom was back in my old world, at least I hoped that was the case, while dad…. I wasn't sure what had happened to him. I still couldn't shake off the feeling that he was the one who sent Alvin and the Outcasts.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay," Hiccup reassured her. She turned and looked at Hiccup hopefully. "My dad's the chief, he'll figure something out."

' _I still do not trust her_ ,' Snowfire snapped.

"Give her a chance," I told her with a shrug. "I'm sure things will work out in the end."

Hiccup helped Heather onto Toothless as they took off back to his place. Fishlegs and the twins took off shortly after while I hopped onto Snowfire.

"Yeah, and don't forget, we're meeting tomorrow to work on our times!" Astrid called cheerfully. "Unless of course, you want Stormfly to be the fastest dragon in the Book of Dragons." I only rolled my eyes at her comment, while Snowfire glared.

' _She would have to eat a hundred chickens in order to catch up with me_ ,' she muttered crossly. I nodded in agreement as Hiccup looked over his shoulder in surprise.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," he called back before they took off.

Snotlout was still on the beach staring at everyone as we left. I tried not to laugh when he watched us desperately, hoping for a ride.

"Hey, can I get a ride from someone?" he yelled.

When we got back Snowfire kept muttering under her breath about not trusting Heather or how annoying Astrid was. I had to laugh at it all. Of all the dragons on Berk, I would say that Snowfire was and always will be the most competitive. She hated losing to anything, especially when it came to racing.

"Would you calm down already?" I asked while grabbing a basket of fish. "I'm sure that Heather's fine, and Astrid's… well, Astrid."

I shrugged as Snowfire looked at me curiously.

' _Are you not worried she will sway that other hatchling_?' she asked. I nearly choked on my glass of water I set on the table. Snowfire only hummed in amusement at my reaction. ' _Why are you so reluctant to admit that you are in love_?'

"Look, first of all, I am _not_ in love with anyone," I replied after taking a deep breath. "And second off, I have a very good reason for not admitting I would be in love." My vision started getting blurry as I remembered what had happened between me and my dad.

There were some things about my dad that I couldn't, or _wouldn't_ talk about. I'd already established that many times when talking to Hiccup about it. He wouldn't understand most of the crap my dad put me through anyways.

' _Someone is outside_ ,' Snowfire suddenly hissed. I looked up in alarm when she said that. It was already late out, so most people would be asleep by now. With a shrug I stood on my bed so that I could look out my window.

My eyes widened when I saw a figure in the distance. The figure paused and moved around a bit, as if to make sure that they weren't being followed. Once the figure disappeared into the darkness, I climbed down with some help from Snowfire.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," I murmured, almost to myself. But the doubt in my voice was obvious, and Snowfire knew it.

' _Are humans always this daft_?' she wondered. I only rolled my eyes in annoyance before returning to my bed. Hopefully it wasn't anything too serious. The last thing I needed right now was another adventure.

...

I woke up early the following morning to find Snowfire already awake.

"What?" was all I could ask. Snowfire just hummed and let out a huff of smoke right in my face. "Hey, save that for Astrid would ya?" I muttered, brushing the smoke away.

' _You are not usually up this early_ ,' she replied. I only shrugged before getting dressed. There really wasn't much I had planned for today, other than check and make sure there weren't any new dragons in the area.

Surprisingly I saw that Jacob was talking quietly to Jessica, who'd been keeping her distance from us since the dragons got sick. Truthfully I hadn't really said a word to her for weeks. Neither of us had ever gotten along, even before arriving in this world. Jacob was the only one who seemed to notice the tension between us.

"Hey, you meet the new girl yet?" Jacob asked after realizing I was there. Jessica kept her distance as Snowfire loomed above me, her eyes narrowed with annoyance at the other girl.

"You mean Heather?" I asked with a shrug. "Yeah, I was there when they found her. She seems nice enough. Snow doesn't trust her though," I added quietly.

' _I do not like her scent_ ,' Snowfire growled, her head turned towards the forge. Sure enough I saw Hiccup leading Heather over to the forge.

"Looks like your boyfriend has a new friend," Jessica said in a sneer. One warning growl from Snowfire was all it took to send her running away. I gave her a thankful look before heading towards the forge, ignoring the look Jacob was giving me.

"Hey, what did I tell you?" I asked in a whisper. Snowfire only rolled her eyes before trotting ahead.

' _You tell me many things, hatchling_ ,' she retorted, crooning in laughter as I followed her. Toothless was quick to greet her as she reached the forge, happy to find another friend he could rub snouts with.

"You working on that new saddle?" I tried to keep my voice casual when I caught up. Hiccup jumped in surprise while Heather just gave me an odd look. I didn't miss the fact that her eyes had strayed over to Snowfire either. Hiccup himself had been hammering away at the connecting rod while Heather watched.

"Uh, yeah," he replied sheepishly. "Just wanted to get a jump on this." He returned to his work while Snowfire and Toothless chased each other around. I watched them with a smirk, noticing how similar Snowfire really did look compared to Toothless.

"You know, with a shorter connecting rod, it'll push you back in the saddle and make you more streamlined," Heather suddenly sputtered out. Both Hiccup and I looked at her in surprise before he tested it out. What was even more surprising was the fact that it worked.

"Which will increase our speed," Hiccup realized. "Yeah! You hear that, bud? Stormfly's gonna be seeing a lot more of your tail." Toothless just crooned in happiness as I rubbed his shoulder. Snowfire had stopped and was watching us both curiously as Toothless' tongue lolled out to one side.

"So, can we test this out?" Heather suddenly asked, feigning innocence.

"How about right now?" Hiccup suggested with a grin.

"What about the…" I didn't get the chance to finish as Hiccup took off, with Heather clinging on with her arms wrapped around his back. "Oh wonderful, and knowing Astrid she'll blame me for this," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

' _I told you she cannot be trusted_ ,' Snowfire huffed once they were gone. I folded my arms and glared at her before climbing into the saddle. Someone was gonna have to tell Astrid, and of course it would have to be me.

We flew around the island until spotting Stormfly. She was perched on a rock, twitching every now and than as she started getting impatient. Astrid gave us one look before scowling in annoyance. I simply ignored the look and landed beside her, just as Toothless zoomed by with Hiccup and Heather.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Astrid groaned as Heather made it obvious she was enjoying their flight. Stormfly made a squawking noise in agreement before turning to greet me. Astrid looked at us in surprise as I rubbed Stormfly's snout.

"It's good to see you too," I laughed as Stormfly nearly pushed me over.

"What are you doing here?" Astrid demanded after shaking off the surprise.

"Sorry," I replied once Stormfly ran over to her side. "Hiccup just wanted to test out the new saddle… But you're more than welcome to race me and Snowfire." Snowfire only hummed in response, as if the thought of racing Stormfly was amusing to her. Astrid just scoffed and hopped onto Stormfly before taking off. "Rude much," I muttered, despite feeling the urge to shout it.

' _She is jealous_ ,' Snowfire hummed.

"What? I didn't even notice." Sarcasm was dripping from my voice as Snowfire rolled her eyes. "Well, we should head back. I'm sure Hiccup's not going to hear the end of this one."

We arrived at the academy moments later to find everyone gathered.

"Oh, ho! She loves getting her ears cleaned! I know just the right spot," Fishlegs cooed as he cleaned out Meatlug's ears. Snotlout in the meantime was having trouble keeping Hookfang under control.

"Hookfang! Will you just calm down already?" he demanded. "Are we training or not?"

"Hey, where's Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked. I was about to answer when Astrid beat me to it.

"Giving private lessons," she grumbled. The annoyance in her voice was obvious. And to make things worse, they flew over us just as she said that. Fishlegs suddenly got excited.

"I didn't know he gives private lessons! Can anybody get in on it?" He looked at me eagerly, but his face fell when I shook my head.

"Apparently, just her," Astrid muttered.

"Uh-oh, looks like there's yet another rooster in the house!" Ruffnut said in a teasing tone.

"Uh-oh, yeah. Another rooster in the hen house. Wait, what?" Tuffnut looked at his sister in confusion.

"Nothing, she thinks I'm jealous, which is completely ridiculous," Astrid defended herself. I leaned against Snowfire as they started to argue.

' _Something tells me that it is more than that girl she is jealous of_ ,' Snowfire chimed in. I held back a smirk at those words.

"Oh, right, right. Wait, of who? Me? Wait, am I the rooster or the hen?" Tuffnut asked while looking around in confusion once again.

All I wanted to do was stay out of this, for now. While I in no way had any deep feelings for Hiccup, it did make me feel uneasy how much time he was spending with Heather. And now I suddenly understood what Astrid had been going through when I showed up.

I just hoped that things didn't go South for Heather. She really had no idea who she was messing with when it came to Astrid.

"Trust me, the last thing I am is jealous," Astrid reassured them just as Toothless, Hiccup and Heather arrived at the arena.

"Top o' the morning, class! How's everyone doing today?" Hiccup greeted everyone cheerfully. To which I just rolled my eyes once more as Snowfire glared at Heather.

"Oh, nice of you to show up," Astrid said sarcastically. I secretly prayed that Astrid didn't take this personally, or blame me for the fact that Hiccup had forgotten about their little 'date'.

"What? Oh, we were supposed to meet up! I'm so sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The silence that followed was instantly shattered by Snotlout.

"Awkward!" he shouted randomly, followed by getting a puff of smoke in his face from Snowfire. Snotlout only scowled in response and folded his arms, glaring at her the rest of the time.

"Oh, Astrid's jealous of the pretty one, right? Why talk about hens and roosters?" Tuffnut had to ask that question as things got even more awkward. I nearly facepalmed as Astrid locked eyes with Heather.

"So, Heather? Sleep well?" Astrid asked as casually as possible. Because things around here weren't tense enough.

"Very well. Thank you," Heather replied with a grateful smile. She began wandering around the academy in awe. "So this is it? Your Dragon Training Academy?" she asked in amazement.

"No, _our_ Dragon Training Academy," Tuffnut said. "Remember, _I_ called you the pretty one," he added with a wink.

"We've been training dragons to become a part of every day life," Hiccup explained to Heather.

"Yeah, and believe when I say it isn't easy," I added after glancing at Snowfire.

' _It would be easier if you hatchlings just listened for once_ ,' she replied in a voice full of annoyance.

"And it all goes here," Fishlegs added excitedly. He stepped forward and revealed the Book of Dragons, which Heather took sudden interest in.

"Really? _Interesting_." My eyes narrowed with suspicion when Heather eyed the book curiously. What sort of diabolical plan was she up to? And why take a sudden interest in the Book of Dragons? I could only imagine it was nothing good.

Unfortunately Fishlegs was too busy boasting about the book that he didn't seem to notice. "Yep. I'm the log keeper. No, the log _master_ ," he said proudly.

"He writes down what Hiccup and Alex tell him to," Snotlout cut in with a smirk.

"I give it my own spin, thank you," Fishlegs retorted.

Heather looked at the book with a gaze full of longing. And I wasn't the only one who seemed to notice. The glare Astrid gave her would have sent daggers through anyone else.

"Can I see it?" she asked. She reached over for the book when I suddenly snatched it from Fishlegs' hands.

"I'll take that," I snapped as Astrid dragged Hiccup away.

"Hiccup, I don't think we should be showing her all of our dragon secrets," Astrid tried reasoning with him once they were far enough away.

"Astrid it's fine," Hiccup said to her.

"I second Astrid's worrying," I suddenly cut in. Both of them looked at me in surprise before I handed Astrid the book. "Snowfire's been bugging me all day about it. There's something about her scent that she doesn't like."

"Well, I do trust her," Hiccup insisted. "And you should trust me. Besides, she doesn't even like the smell of chicken," he added with a smirk.

I just fell silent and glared back. Sometimes I wondered why I bother staying here. It's not like people took my advice anyways. Then again Snowfire would have a fit if I left now. Astrid's eyes lit up with hope when she realized that someone else believed her.

"There's just something about her that I don't like," I said with a shrug. "It could be the fact that she was suddenly interested in the Book of Dragons." Not to mention all of the guys seemed to be swooning over her. I wasn't jealous, just concerned that she might be using them.

To my disbelief, Hiccup chose to ignore both of our statements and returned to where Heather and the others were chatting. Astrid only glared after them while I folded my arms in annoyance.

"Well, looks like we've both found something in common," Astrid muttered under her breath.

"You mean other than riding dragons?" I suggested. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her. Having extra eyes would make it easier to spot something unusual," I quickly added. Astrid just gave me a cold look before sighing in defeat.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" All I could do was grin before explaining the plan. Maybe this could work if we actually learned to get along.

' _Do not let your jealousy get the better of you_ ,' Snowfire suddenly piped in once we were finished. She was eying us both, but I had a feeling her words were more directed towards Astrid. Either way, I wasn't going to let it get to me.

...

Heather was unaware of the fact that she was being spied on. Right now she was with Fishlegs, receiving 'expert' advice on the Gronckle, oblivious to the fact that two people were already suspicious of her actions.

"So, Mr. Fishlegs, 'Log Master of the Book of Dragons' – I can call you that, right?" Heather asked Fishlegs in the most polite tone she could offer.

"Absolutely," Fishlegs replied with a huge grin. I rolled my eyes when I realized what Heather was doing.

It was the oldest trick in the book of love. Try and use your looks and charm to get a boy's attention. To make matters worse it was actually working.

"Tell me, what would one find in the Book of Dragons about the… _magnificent_ Gronckle?" Heather asked in a honey-sweet voice.

What Fishlegs and Heather didn't realize was that I was listening in on their conversation. Despite the fact that they were inside a building I could hear them loud and clear, thanks to a hollowed out horn I placed next to my ear.

This was one of those moments where I wished that modern technology could play a big role. After all there was plenty of spy equipment one could use in situations like this. But for now I focused on their conversation, having let go of that luxury months ago.

"Well, the Gronckle is a member of the Boulder Class dragons," Fishlegs explained. "Fourteen feet long, eighteen foot wingspan, five thousand, seven hundred and twenty four pounds of pure love. Come on girl, don't be shy."

"She's so cute!" she cooed over the plump dragon. I only rolled my eyes once again. "But how does she perform in battle?" Heather asked.

"Well, feel her skin," Fishlegs suggested. "It's thick, impenetrable. Like armor." I had to laugh when I heard a rock bouncing off of Meatlug, hitting Fishlegs seconds later. "Owe! And quite springy as well!"

"What about her tail?" Heather suddenly asked, changing tactics. "It looks like it could be used as a weapon."

"Oh it is," Fishlegs replied in a voice full of pride. "Tough, bulbous, deadly. It can even be used as a bludgeon."

"Oooh, she sounds so fierce!"

"Oh, she's fierce alright – on the outside. But on the inside, she's as soft as a bed of rose petals. Aren't you my little baby?"

By now I was trying not to gag in disgust. Truth be told I probably would have acted the same way around a puppy or kitten. But this just made me sick; Heather was using his awkwardness to her advantage.

But on to a more trying thought… Why was Heather so interested in a Gronckle's battle skills? There had to be some reason behind it all.

"So, this is what you do on your time off?" I nearly leaped out of my skin at the sound of Jacob's voice. I turned around in time to see him looking down at me, arms folded while smirking in amusement. "Admit it, you're jealous."

"I am not," I snapped, fighting the blush that threatened to follow. "I'm just worried. Even Astrid doesn't trust Heather, and while _she_ might be jealous, I do trust her instincts."

"So you're just going to go behind everyone's backs and spy on them?" he asked, frowning at the thought.

"If it means finding out the truth, than yes," I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Or, you're just more worried about him." I only rolled my eyes at that, knowing that he was partly right. Yes, I was worried about Hiccup. I was worried that Heather might be playing him, just like the girls in our old school would do to innocent guys.

Once Jacob had left,

I pulled out the little notebook Astrid had given me and started writing all of this information down. Heather was already on her way out once I was finished. Without a moment's hesitation I quickly put the notebook away and followed the raven-haired girl down to the docks, where Barf and Belch were waiting with Tuffnut.

"So, Tuff, tell me how this works again?" Heather asked the twin in question. Tuffnut was all too eager to share some points on the Zippleback. Which only furthered my suspicions about Heather.

"Okay, you yank on his head, he barfs up this really nasty gas, and I make the other one spark. But don't breathe it in," he warned her.

"Why?" Heather looked at Tuffnut in confusion and surprise.

"You don't wanna know," the twin replied.

Breathing in the gas of a Zippleback would give you a severe case of nausea. Tuffnut had learned that the hard way when Ruffnut was messing around with him. It was something else we had added into the Book of Dragons.

"Just give me the signal," Tuffnut told her.

"What's the signal?" Heather asked.

"Ah man…. I always forget," Tuffnut sad, rubbing the back of his helmet.

"How 'bout: Fire?" Heather suggested.

"What the hell is she playing at?" I wondered out loud while grabbing my book. Taking these notes was a bit of an annoying task, but it was necessary to build up the evidence. And right now I was getting more and more suspicious.

"Wow, you're good at this," Tuffnut said in a smug voice. "Much better than my sister, who, I can easily get rid of, by the way… I mean, easily. She looks a lot like me. Sometimes I impersonate both of us." He continued rambling until Heather snapped him back to reality.

"Yeah. Why don't we focus on the task at hand," she suggested once again.

"Right. Okay. Ready?" Tuffnut leaned forward in excitement, and Heather copied his movements.

"Ready," Heather replied. She yanked on Barf's head, releasing a toxic and explosive gas.

"Signal! Ugh, darn – I mean, fire!" Tuffnut sputtered the words out before yanking Belch's head back. The sparks that followed created an explosion that ended up destroying a nearby boat.

"What do we do now?" Heather asked nervously. Villagers were starting to call out in alarm upon the attack.

"Usually we hide… until the Chief finds us. Then we get in trouble," he explained before making a run for it. I watched with annoyance as Heather fled the scene before the villagers arrived.

The sun was just beginning to set when I found her at Snotlout's. I rolled my eyes once again when I realized that she was just using him, just like with Fishlegs and Tuffnut. And as usual, Snotlout was too naive to know any better.

This time Heather was admiring Hookfang as Snotlout showed him off, oblivious to the fact that Heather had already visited two of the other male riders. Not to mention she had gotten a free riding lesson from Hiccup.

"I have to say, Snotlout," she began while walking circles around the Monstrous Nightmare. "Your dragon is the most impressive." Her voice had a honey-sweet tone to it that nearly made me gag again. I was beginning to see why Astrid hated her so much.

"Yeah, I know," Snotlout said in a voice full of pride. "So, let's talk about you and me. You never did thank me for saving your life."

"You're right. Thank you, Snotlout." I fought back the vile threatening to overwhelm me when she said that. "So, how much does he weigh, exactly?" she asked.

"What, him?" Snotlout looked a little put off that she was more focused on Hookfang than himself. But he perked up almost immediately when he answered, "five thousand pounds, give or take. He's monstrous, remember? Like his rider, so… heh. Tour of the island, you and me. What do you say?"

"Actually, Hiccup already took me on Toothless," Heather replied innocently. "It was beautiful." She paused before looking back down at Hookfang. "So, Snotlout, how does this whole fire thing work with Hookfang?" While she was busy asking questions, I took the opportunity to write down notes as Snotlout boasted about his dragon.

"It's his spit," he explained. "It coats his whole body. That's what lights him on fire, okay? Between you and me, I use it on date night. The ladies seem to like the smell." This time I actually did make a gagging sound as Snotlout began covering himself in the spit. I had to duck again behind the house when Heather looked in my direction.

"Can he flame up on command?" she asked, thankfully not having noticed me.

"Oh, he can," Snotlout replied. "But he won't. Pig-headed dragon," he scoffed. Just as he said that, Hookfang wandered off and started ruining a nearby cart. "Could you, just give me a minute? Just one minute!" Snotlout than frantically ran after his dragon to try and calm him down.

"Take all the time you need," Heather called back, sounding more relieved than ever.

Okay, now I was really starting to hate this Heather character. First she kissed up to all the guys, and now she was asking for information on all of the dragons. Lucky for me she hadn't spotted me once as I reached Hiccup's house.

' _What are you doing_?' Snowfire's voice made me nearly leap out of my skin. I whirled around in time to see her standing behind me, eying me curiously.

"Taking my part of the deal," I replied in a firm voice. "Heather's up to something, and I need to figure out what it is."

' _Then perhaps I will help_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as we reached the house.

"I'm gonna need a boost," I told her when I remembered where the book would most likely be. I tried not to blush at the thought of sneaking into anyone's house for that matter.

Snowfire carefully held steady as I gently climbed onto her snout. Once she had reached the window I grabbed the ledge and spotted Heather looking under Hiccup's bed.

"Gotcha! The Book of Dragons," Heather said excitedly. And just like that, everything both Astrid and I had thought of her were true. My fists clenched together as she started reading the book. "Monstrous Nightmare…. Gronckle…. Here we go. The Deadly Nadder. Piercing spikes, loyal, powerful…" Heather managed to read off a few lines before someone interrupted her.

"Intelligent, and of course, _deadly_." I held back a sigh of relief at the venomous tone in Astrid's voice. Heather quickly spun around in surprise. "What do you think you're doing?" Astrid demanded. Heather, who was clearly panicking as she was caught in the act, began to back away fearfully. "Well, are you gonna say something?" Astrid asked again, just as Hiccup arrived.

"I am so sorry, Hiccup!" Heather gasped. "I was cleaning up your room when I-I found the book. I couldn't help myself." The guilt in her voice made my fingers leave tiny dents in the wood. It was obvious that she was lying, and of course, Hiccup was oblivious.

"It's okay, Heather," he replied, looking a bit taken aback.

"It's _okay_?" Astrid looked flabbergasted by Hiccup's trust in Heather. "What do you mean by ' _it's okay_ '? She's reading the Book of Dragons!"

"Astrid come on, lighten up." Okay, there was one thing that guys never told a girl to do. And lighten up, or calm down, was one of those things. Astrid's face turned from a look of annoyance to outrage.

"Me? She's the one sneaking around at night, looking at our stuff!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Really? Sneaking around? Wha-what are you talking about?" Hiccup looked at Astrid in surprise.

"I'm talking about last night, near my house," Astrid told him. So I wasn't the only one to notice that. I wish Astrid would have told me that sooner; maybe we could've worked something out in the end.

"That was me. I couldn't sleep so… I went for a walk. I was having terrible nightmare," Heather sighed.

By now I had nearly lost it. Another load of bull crap. If I wasn't so busy listening I would've smacked Heather right across the face for lying so easily.

"I can imagine," Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"Is this really happening?" Astrid asked in exasperation.

"Okay, Astrid, that's enough," Hiccup snapped.

"You're right, Hiccup," Astrid told him flatly. "It _is_."

Now I suddenly understood why Astrid had hated me so much when I first showed up. It's not like I meant to get between her and Hiccup. He was just a friend, but now it seemed like nothing would ever happen between them.

"I'm sorry, about that," Hiccup apologized once she stormed off.

"No. _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have read the book," Heather lied smoothly.

"It's no big deal," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "I trust you."

"How can you trust that little b—" A voice had stopped me from finishing my rant.

"Alex?" I nearly lost my grip on the wood when Astrid called my name. Luckily Snowfire caught me before I could fall flat on my ass. "What were you doing up there?" she demanded, folding her arms and glaring.

"Well, I managed to gather enough information on Heather," I explained after shaking off the dust. Astrid raised an eyebrow in surprise as I pulled out the notebook. "And let me tell you, Heather isn't the sweet innocent girl everyone thinks she is."

"You're not worried about her trying to find something out about Snowfire?" Astrid glanced at Snowfire curiously as she let out a growl of annoyance.

' _I would bite her hand off if she dare approach me_ ,' she snapped.

"Point taken," I said with a smirk. "Look, knowing what she has looked into already, my guess is she'll try looking at Stormfly next," I added. "I'm going to keep an eye on her to make sure that doesn't happen." Astrid eyed me curiously after showing obvious signs of worry for her dragon.

"Why are you suddenly so concerned about my dragon?" she asked warily. Snowfire made a crooning sound and rubbed my hand with her snout, concerned that we were about to argue again.

"I care about all of the dragons," I replied. She looked at me in surprise as I continued, "guess it has something to do with being saved by one." Astrid just smirked as Snowfire crooned in agreement.

For the rest of the night we had returned to Stormfly's stable to make sure that Heather wouldn't approach it. Snowfire stayed behind us, and I was hopeful she would be enough to scare Heather away. And sure enough, Heather had arrived shortly after.

"Approach the Deadly Nadder slowly…." Heather whispered as Stormfly stood up and eyed her suspiciously. "Stay in the blind spot…." Heather than hid herself under Stormfly's nose that she wouldn't see her. Seconds later and she held up a chicken to Stormfly's mouth. "I hear you like that." Heather smiled as Stormfly chewed. Once Stormfly was calm enough, Heather reached out to touch her.

But that was when Astrid and I had chosen to jump out of our hiding place.

"What are you doing with my dragon?" Astrid demanded.

' _Now can I bite off her hand_?' Snowfire let out a growl that made Heather's eyes widen in horror.

"No, even if she does deserve it," I told her. "Why are you so interested in the dragons?" I demanded, folding my arms and glaring at her.

"I'm just curious, that's all!" Heather defended herself.

"Really? Well in that case, Snowfire can give you an up and close experience." I nodded to Snowfire, whose eyes narrowed with fury as she glowered at Heather.

"Don't give us your innocent routine," Astrid put in. "Why _do_ you want to know so much about our dragons, Heather?"

Heather just stared at the three of us in shock. Not only had she been caught red-handed, but we now had proof of what she was up to.

"Like I said, Astrid and Alex, I'm just curious," she replied bluntly. "I wonder what would happen if I told _him_ that you didn't trust me." Stormfly than nudged Heather playfully, asking for more chicken. "I think your dragon likes me. See you later Stormfly," Heather added with a smirk.

Once Heather was gone I shouted a volley of curses that left Astrid staring at me in shock. A few minutes of this went by before I finally calmed down. Astrid was making sure that Stormfly was okay until things had settled down.

"What was _that_ about?" Astrid asked once I finished my ranting. Snowfire only hummed in amusement as I folded my arms once again.

"It's something people do in my world," I muttered. "Only when I'm pissed off to the point of throwing a storm. And right now I feel like throwing her off a cliff."

"For once, I actually agree with you," the blond-haired girl suddenly told me.

The two of us stared at each other in shock before Astrid looked away in embarrassment. All I knew was that we needed to find Heather and make sure she didn't do anything stupid. I had a feeling that something had to do with the Book of Dragons.

...

We finally tracked down Heather near the beach. She was moving in a way that reminded me of someone on a mission. My guess was she was about to meet with someone. And unfortunately my guess was right when we spotted something in the distance.

"That's an _Outcast_ boat!" Astrid exclaimed in shock.

"What would the Outcasts want with Heather?" I asked almost to myself. That would explain why Snowfire didn't like her scent right away. She had known all along that Heather couldn't be trusted.

I recognized the muscular man from when Alvin had tried attacking Berk. I never did get his name.

" _Savage_ ," Astrid mumbled. I quickly shushed her so that we could listen to what they had to say.

"What have you learned about the dragons?" Savage asked.

"I've learned a lot, Savage," Heather explained warily. "But there's something else. Something that's going to make Alvin very happy." I couldn't help but feel horrified that Heather was actually working for the Outcasts. Somehow it didn't surprise me, but it still made me feel sick.

"I'm listening," Savage muttered.

"They have a book. A Book of Dragons. It's got everything in it. It's got everything Alvin could hope to learn about controlling dragons," Heather told him.

"Well, where is this book?" Savage demanded.

"I don't have it," Heather replied. "But I will! I promise. I just, I just need a little more time, please." Savage was suspicious almost instantly.

"Alvin isn't known for his patience," he warned her. "He won't be happy to wait."

"Please! You have to trust me! When I get back to Outcast island, I'll have the book with me; the wait will be worth it," she desperately tried reassuring him. For a while Savage didn't say anything, but eventually he grudgingly agreed with her. "I better go." Heather began to leave.

"Just out of your concern, I hope that dragon girl doesn't know about all of this!" Savage warned her. Astrid and I exchanged looks at the nickname. I knew almost immediately that he was referring to me.

"Don't worry, she doesn't know," Heather replied before finally leaving.

The two of us waited until Heather and the Outcasts were gone. Once it was over, we made a run for Hiccup's house.

"Wake up!" Astrid and I screamed at the same time. Snowfire let out an eerie screech, and a thud followed shortly after. I tried not to laugh as I imagine the heart attack we almost gave both Hiccup and Toothless.

"Ow! What – Why would you two _do_ that?" Hiccup sputtered in confusion.

"Saving our butts," Astrid replied.

"We just saw Heather talking to Savage! She's working for the Outcasts!" I added.

"Okay, I can understand why Astrid's suspicious, but…. Wait, are you two working together?" Hiccup looked at us in surprise as Astrid folded her arms.

"Yes, because we've found a common enemy," Astrid replied with a shrug.

"And what we saw with our own eyes is true," I put in. "Even Snowfire saw it with her own eyes, and she never lies." I patted her on the shoulder as she hummed in agreement.

"Don't you think it's possible you and Astrid saw something else? I mean, it was pretty dark out there," Hiccup tried reasoning with us. I just rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time while Snowfire let out an irritated growl.

' _My sight works perfectly fine in the dark_ ,' she snapped.

"That girl isn't who you think she is!" Astrid added.

"Hiccup, please just hear me out," I pleaded. "You _need_ to keep the Book of Dragons away from her. Hide it where she can't find it. If she gets her hands on it and delivers it to the Outcast, Berk will be under siege in a matter of days!"

"Why would Alvin be so interested in the book?" Hiccup looked at us both curiously as Astrid sighed in frustration.

"Because he knows I'd refuse to work with him," I replied bluntly. "To be brutally honest, I would likely let Snowfire rip out his throat." Again she hummed in agreement at those words, clearly enjoying the thought.

"That book is the only way Alvin will learn how to control the dragons," Astrid pointed out. Hiccup studied us both for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Alright, I believe you."

"It's about time," I muttered crossly.

"So, what do we do now?" Astrid glanced at us both in obvious concern.

"Astrid, you need to keep an eye on the dragons and make sure nothing happens to them," Hiccup instructed her. "Alex, I'm trusting you with the Book of Dragons." I looked at Hiccup in surprise before he pulled it out of a hiding spot. "Make sure Heather doesn't get anywhere near it."

"Got it."

"Understood chief," Astrid replied with a smirk.

...

Guard the book, don't let Heather anywhere near it. My mind was whirling with confusion as I leaned against the back of Hiccup's house. As an insurance policy we had decided that it be best I stay close by. If Heather did go looking for it she would likely end up at Hiccup's place.

Snowfire was by my side, keeping a close eye on any signs of danger. I was holding on to the book as if my life depended on it. Meanwhile Astrid was busy keeping an eye on the dragons to make sure Heather didn't try anything on them.

' _Someone is coming_!' Snowfire let out a warning growl, but it was abruptly cut off. My heart nearly skipped a beat when she was knocked out in an instant. Heather was standing over her, a face of both relief and horror as she dropped the Dragon Nip she'd been holding.

"I guess Alvin was right when he said you had a strong bond." She smirked once the initial threat had passed. I clutched on to the book for dear life as Heather eyed it curiously. "I wonder, if there's anything in the book about the White Terror?"

As she reached out for the book I quickly smacked away her hand. Heather recoiled almost instantly as I glared at her. The one good thing about middle school was learning how to defend myself. One didn't simply pass a hallway without getting their brains knocked out.

"I'm not letting you take this, bastard," I snapped. "You'd have to pry it out of my dead fingers before I hand it over." Heather simply smirked before delivering an uppercut to my shoulder. I held back a cry of pain before striking her hip with my knee.

"If that's what it takes," she cooed before suddenly slamming her fist into my stomach. The impact was enough to leave me winded, but not to the point of giving up. I still held on to the book as she started delivering blow after blow. I managed to dodge each of them until she finally saw an opening. With one final slam of the fist she managed to throw me into the wall. The impact was enough to leave me dazed as I slumped over. "It's not just the book he wants, I'm afraid."

The last thing I saw was her face glaring down at me before I lost consciousness.

...

Snowfire woke with a start. She knew almost immediately that something was wrong. Sniffing around she realized that her rider was gone. Fury swept through her the moment she picked up Heather's awful stench. It reminded her far too much of those deranged humans from earlier.

"She's gone!" Snowfire looked up in alarm at the sound of the blond-haired hatchling's voice. She hadn't liked that girl very much. But now she was starting to understand why the girl was so violent and angry all of the time.

"Heather?" the male hatchling had a voice full of confusion. Snowfire had learned over time that his name was Hiccup, and that her rider was overly fond of him. Sensing his worry, she trotted over to where he and the blond were speaking.

"No! Stormfly! 'Little Miss Innocent' stole my dragon!" the blond continued shouting in an angry tone. Snowfire blinked in confusion. The female dragon that was always with that hatchling couldn't have betrayed her. Not that easily.

' _Where is my rider_?' she demanded, letting her voice be heard by both young hatchlings. Hiccup and the blond stared at her in disbelief, until Hiccup's eyes widened in horror and realization.

"What?" the blond demanded.

"Alex, she was guarding the Book of Dragons," Hiccup explained. "And if Heather's gone—"

"You think she took Alex as well?" the blond looked at Hiccup in confusion. "What would Heather want with her?"

"There's not enough time to explain!" Hiccup quickly ran over to Toothless, who was still watching both humans and Snowfire curiously. "Get the others ready, we need to leave now."

' _And find my rider_ ,' Snowfire cut in.

It didn't take long for all of the riders to get assembled at the academy. The boys were, needless to say, shocked that Heather had done such a thing. None of them seemed aware that the raven-haired girl had just been using them.

"Oh, this is bad," the large, hefty boy started pacing around and fretting. He kept repeating those words until finally saying something else. "This is catastrophic! If Alvin gets both the book and—" Luckily Hiccup had finally stopped him, much to Snowfire's relief.

"He won't," he reassured the large hatchling and hopped onto Toothless' back, followed by the blond. Snowfire snorted in satisfaction at that. She would not allow anyone else to ride her, unless it was Hiccup. For some reason that hatchling was much kinder than the others, and had the soul of a dragon.

As all of them took off, Snowfire put on an extra burst of speed to prove her point. When she found this Heather girl, she would rip out her throat for what she had done.

"I'm going for her, Hiccup," the blond suddenly told Toothless' rider. "She's going to pay for this."

Oh, the blond had no idea. Snowfire was going to ensure that Heather suffered for everything she had done. Fortunately Heather wasn't all that skilled when it came to riding dragons. And sure enough they had caught up with her due to her slow progress.

"We're never going to catch up with them!" the blond shouted. "Stormfly is too fast!"

"When you're riding her, definitely," Hiccup replied. "Not a stranger."

' _Not to mention she has my rider as well_!' Snowfire had spotted them from a distance long before the other hatchlings.

"What's that? Up ahead!" The loud and obnoxious hatchling pointed towards something in the distance.

"It's Heather! And is she ever gonna feel sorry she helped me with Toothless' speed." Hiccup wasted no time in catching up with Snowfire. She had already fired a warning blast at Heather, causing Stormfly to falter in mid-flight. "Try not to shoot down both riders!" Hiccup called as Snowfire fired another blast. "I'll get you in close," he added when they had finally reached them.

That's when Heather decided to give Stormfly a little snack. Snowfire's nose wrinkled in disgust at the stench. She hated chicken. Fish was much more preferred.

"I-Is that chicken?" Hiccup asked in disbelief. "Is that what you've been—"

"Really? You wanna talk about that _now_?" the blond snapped.

Deciding to ignore the issue, Hiccup than said, "I'm gonna pull right above her." Snowfire kept a safe distance as Toothless flew above Stormfly.

"O-okay! Keep him steady." the blond mumbled before getting into position. She than did something that caught Snowfire completely off guard. Without hesitation she jumped off of Toothless' back, landing precariously on Stormfly's saddle. "Going somewhere?"

Seeing her rider tied up only angered Snowfire even more. Snowfire pulled in alongside Stormfly, giving the Heather girl an icy glare. Heather was more intimidated by the blond than by the dragon ready to bite her head off. Heather had managed to knock the blond off after pointlessly fighting each other.

"Stormfly! Tail flip!" the blond called while dangling from Stormfly's tail. Stormfly was quick to get her rider back on the saddle.

"This is gonna be awesome!" the look-alike male hatchling suddenly shouted. In fact no one had noticed the incoming danger until the hefty hatchling spoke up.

"Uh, Hiccup? I really hate to be the voice of doom, but we just crossed into Outcast waters," he warned everyone. Snowfire didn't really know what that meant. But she did know that the term 'Outcast' was dangerous to these people.

"Hey, Astrid, you might want to move this along!" Hiccup called.

"Give me a minute, she's stronger than she looks!" the girl called Astrid replied. Snowfire let out an irritated growl and tried to reach her rider, who shockingly enough was still unconscious. But Stormfly's movements were too jerky for her to reach her rider safely.

"Uh, Astrid?" Hiccup's voice was now nervous, and Snowfire suddenly understood why. A group of humans known as the Outcasts were firing at them. Finally Astrid had managed to gain the upper hand in their fight.

"Don't you _ever_ touch my dragon again!" she shouted after knocking Heather out of the saddle. But Heather had been holding on to the book the humans were so fond of. And in the process the ropes holding on to Snowfire's rider had begun to unravel.

"Ah! No!" Heather began to fall, and the obnoxious hatchling suddenly charged after her on his Monstrous Nightmare.

Snowfire flew after her rider. Toothless was diving after the book as it fell towards the waiting Outcasts. But just as they were about to reach both one of the Outcasts had fired their catapults. Snowfire held back a screech of fury as a fireball brushed against her wing.

By the time she had recovered it was too late. Both the book and her rider were gone. Snowfire looked around frantically, but she couldn't find either in the chaos that followed. Rage burned deep within her, but she knew that fighting the Outcasts was suicide.

"Please tell me you got them both?" the hefty hatchling asked anxiously. But than he noticed the glare Snowfire was giving him and clamped his mouth shut.

"I was too late," Hiccup breathed out in a grim voice. "Alvin has them both."

Heather had betrayed them all. And she would pay for her heinous deed. One way or another, they would get the book and Alex back. Otherwise an all out war could brawl out between both islands.

* * *

 **AN: Ah this chapter was also fun to rewrite. Yep, I'm definitely enjoying this. I can't wait to get into the second season :P Also, is anyone here a WALK THE MOON fan? Their newest EP came out, and it's awesome! Of course Talking Is Hard is still one of my favorite albums... Work This Body and Portugal are my two favorite songs :D**

 **The Silent Fury - Thanks! Yes I am having fun writing this series. Thanks for asking :)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Lol Mildew suffering makes anyone's day. And technically she doesn't have superpowers... but I guess you could call them that if you want Oo Even I wouldn't know what to call them.**


	23. Heather Report, Part II

**Chapter Twenty Three**

* * *

"Don't turn away from Me For My love won't be undone, Don't hide your face from Me For My light has surely come Surely Come surely come, Lift up your eyes and see Heaven is closer than you know, Lift up your voice and sing Know that My love won't let you go, And I won't forsake you..." - Closer Than You Know, Hillsong United

* * *

It took a while for me to wake up. When I did I instantly regretted it.

My head was throbbing in pain. My mouth was dry, either from lack of water or something else, I wasn't sure. But one thing I was sure of was the fact that I couldn't figure out what had happened. The last thing I remember was fighting Heather, and than blacking out.

That was when I noticed something was off. I tried moving my hands, but they were chained to a wall.

"Well, well, well." A familiar voice made me look up in alarm. The anger from earlier had suddenly returned when Alvin waltzed in, a triumphant smirk written across his face. "And here I was afraid our little guest wouldn't wake up again," he sneered.

"Get back!" My voice was raw from lack of use. Alvin only smirked once more before grabbing hold of my chin.

"I'd watch your tongue," he snapped. "You're in no position to talk to me like that." All I could do was glare as he stepped back. "No thanks to that order I nearly lost half of my men. But now that I have you, we can control the dragons."

"Yeah, not going to happen," I muttered.

Alvin only scowled and slapped a hand across my cheek. My face burned with outrage as pain surged through me. Whatever Heather had done to me was making the pain worse than I expected.

"You don't have a choice," he retorted.

Before I could make sense of what he meant by that, the door swung open. Two men were holding down a Deadly Nadder. My heart was racing with panic as I watched it fight back against the ropes. They even had it's tail pinned down in case it tried to attack.

"Let go of the ropes!" Alvin suddenly ordered. Both men looked at him in surprise before doing as they were told. In an instant the Nadder charged after them. Alvin started drawing it's attention, causing enough of a ruckus that the Nadder turned and looked around in confusion. "Let's see if you're as good as that man claimed," Alvin sneered as he led the Nadder to me.

I braced myself for the pain that might follow. The Deadly Nadder was quick in attacking, using both fire and it's spikes for defense. But instead of attacking, the Nadder just stood there and stared at me. I watched the Nadder for a few seconds before it reached forward, bowing it's head.

"I'm sorry," was all I could whisper. My voice felt hollow as Alvin grinned once again in triumph.

"Looks to me like he was right." By now the men had already tied up the Nadder. To my surprise it didn't bother fighting back this time. "Take it to the cages; we'll have more to test out after this." I felt a shudder run down my back at the thought.

The last thing I wanted was to be used, again. But the chains made it impossible for escape. All I could do for now was glare at Alvin as he left me there. One way or the other, I would get my revenge on that bastard.

...

Jacob wasn't normally one who got angry so easily. But when he did, everyone had better watch their backs.

He'd been with Jessica most of the morning and night when she needed company. She hadn't spoken to anyone lately about how she was feeling. He knew that she missed spending time on her phone or using her credit card. She wasn't used to living a life where there was no such technology. But when Jacob had learned what happened to Alex, he took it more personally than the others.

"Of all the things that could've happened," he muttered under his breath while approaching Sniper. The Monstrous Nightmare lifted his head in concern. "Why does she have to take so many stupid risks?"

Sniper just looked at him with that same expression. He hated the fact that he couldn't communicate with his dragon like she could. Alex had proven time and time again that there was so much more to dragons than anyone realized.

"Sorry, bud," he whispered as Sniper leaned forward and growled in concern. "I'm not mad at you, I'm angry with myself. She's my best friend... maybe even more than that."

Of course his dragon wouldn't understand what he was talking about. The more he thought about it, the guiltier he'd felt. It was obvious that Hiccup had feelings for Alex, much as he tried to hide them. Jacob had seen how much both cared for one another, how alike they were. He hadn't realized until now how much he regretted not sharing his feelings with her. Now he might never get the chance to.

...

Heather was on the run, again. She ran through the forest, trying to escape from Berk. After having returned to the small island, the dragon riders had thrown her into jail. But no prison could keep her locked. She quickly made her way to the beach, and was only a few meters away from a waiting boat when someone tripped her. She looked up just in time to see Astrid and Stormfly hovering above her.

"You can break out of jail as many times as you want," Astrid told her. "But you're not getting off of this island!" Once Stormfly had her talons locked around Heather, they threw her back into the prison and locked the cell door. "Give it up Heather," she added. "We have dragons."

"Astrid, I have to get back to Outcast island!" Heather begged.

"Yeah, I bet you do," Astrid said dryly and was about to leave.

"You don't understand!" Heather pleaded in a desperate tone. "Alvin has my parents!" Astrid only shook her head in frustration and glared at the raven-haired girl. She'd heard this song and dance many times now, and was getting tired of it.

"Yeah, and what to the pirates?" she snorted in a mocking tone.

"There were never any pirates," Heather replied. This time there was guilt in her voice, and an apology that had caught Astrid's attention. "I made it up. But I had to! I needed you to trust me!"

"Well guess what?" Anger suddenly took over. "We don't, not anymore. Because of you the Book of Dragons and one of our own are gone. I hope you live with that guilt for the rest of your time here."

Heather just stared at her with regretful eyes as she turned and left. This wouldn't be her last prison escape attempt, that was for sure.

Later that day all of the Viking teens were gathered in the arena, preparing for the upcoming battle. Snowfire stayed in the back of the arena, resting her head between her paws with her eyes half closed. She hadn't eaten since she lost her rider, and Hiccup was getting worried.

He wouldn't admit that it wasn't just Snowfire he worried about. After learning what she had been put through when she was younger, he was more concerned about what Alvin would do to Alex. Especially since it seemed like Alvin knew what Alex was capable of.

"That was a little close, Snotlout!" Fishlegs' accusing tone brought him back to their training.

Snotlout had fired a small boulder from a catapult at Fishlegs and Meatlug as they hovered above. Meatlug had turned around and swallowed the rock just before it could hit them.

"Quit whining Fishlegs!" Snotlout snapped. Meatlug then spat a ball of lava at Snotlout's catapult. He dove out of the way just as the lava ball missed him by inches. "Cut that out!" Snotlout yelled once the danger passed.

"Nice job guys!" Hiccup called as he rode on Toothless. "But remember, the Outcasts aren't going to be coming one at a time." Toothless made a crooning sound as if to agree with him.

"You don't need to remind me," Fishlegs said. "I'm under enough stress."

"Remember, we're only going to have one shot at getting both the book and Alex back," Hiccup reminded them.

"Uh, did I not make myself clear about the stress?" Fishlegs asked before zooming off.

Barf and Belch flew by just than, creating a mist of gas before sparking it. The wave of fire swept right towards Snotlout and Hookfang, but Snotlout managed to leap before it hit. Unfortunately for Snotlout, Hookfang chose that moment to ignite himself in self defense.

"Too early, Snotlout!" Astrid called after him. "We have to time this perfectly." She flew down to join them after keeping an eye on the prison.

"It wasn't me, it was them!" Snotlout retorted, pointing to the twins.

"Uh, sorry," Ruffnut apologized.

"Yeah, still working on the kinks," Tuffnut added.

In the meantime, Hookfang was busy rampaging around, still engulfed in his own flame. His roar was enough to wake everyone on the island, much to their annoyance.

"Can you calm him down, Snotlout?" Astrid asked.

"Fine, whatever!" Snotlout muttered and charged after an enraged Hookfang. He then wrestled with his dragon and slammed his horn into the ground, putting him out an instant. "Figured that one out yesterday," he bragged as Hookfang's tongue lolled out to one side.

"Wait, he likes having his horns bent to the ground?" Fishlegs asked as he and Meatlug landed.

"Tuffnut does," Ruffnut said with a smirk.

"I do?" Ruffnut wasted no time in jumping at him and slamming his helmet to the ground. "Oh yeah, that does feel kinda nice. The dirt is soft."

"Can we get on with it?" Astrid yelled. "There could be a whole army coming at us!"

"Well, we're waiting," Snotlout said, getting onto Hookfang.

Stormfly then rose into the air and hovered there. Than Hookfang created a wall of fire that was aimed towards them.

"Spines, Stormfly!" Astrid commanded. Stormfly fired several spikes that entered the wall of fire. They came out moments later, revealing that they were now on fire before hitting the nearby wall. One of them managed to spear Tuffnut's helmet, still caught on fire.

"Kind of like that too," Tuffnut said. "Need to make a note."

"Yeah, that could work really great," Hiccup added.

"You know, all of this training is nice once we have the book and Alex," Fishlegs began. "But Alvin obviously isn't just going to hand them over."

"No," Astrid agreed with him. "But maybe, he'd hand them to Heather."

"Uh, I think Astrid's been eating dragon nip again," Fishlegs muttered. Astrid promptly elbowed him in the stomach. "Why is it always violence with you?" he demanded after reeling over in pain.

"It isn't violence," Astrid replied with a smirk. "It's communication."

"So you're suggesting we let Heather go?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"Sort of," Astrid said slyly.

"Yep, definitely dragon nip," Fishlegs coughed. Astrid than punched him in the stomach.

...

"T-This is going to work, right?" Fishlegs asked, stuttering. They were placing supplies in a boat, minus one Astrid. "B-Because if it doesn't w-work, A-Alvin's gonna know all our d-dragon secrets! A-And if Alvin knows all our dragon s-secrets—"

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup yelled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll work." Someone than returned with a wide smirk on their face. That someone looked amazingly like Heather. "Ah, that must be—"

"Heather!" Tuffnut cried.

"Get her!" Ruffnut said as the two ran after her.

"That rhymes!" Tuffnut put in and followed. They managed to knock the figure down before she could get any closer. "You must stay in your cell! How many times do we have to tell?" Tuffnut than tried punching the figure in the face, when they used their free arm to rip Tuffnut right off of her.

"It's me you mutton-heads!" Astrid shouted. In fact, she looked almost exactly like Heather. The only difference was her eyes. While Heather had light green eyes, Astrid's were dark blue and seething with anger.

"Is the whole 'attack first ask questions later' thing really necessary?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, sorry Astrid," Tuffnut apologized after getting off of her. "That disguise is really convincing."

"Oh yeah, I could tell," Astrid muttered crossly and walked towards the boat.

"I have to say, you did a really good job with that disguise," Hiccup said.

"It's amazing what you can do with cloth, thread and ash," she replied with a smirk.

"Are you sure about it?" Hiccup asked warily. Astrid stopped and looked at Hiccup worriedly.

"No," she replied. "But it's our only chance."

"We'll be shadowing you from the sky," Hiccup reassured her. "Hopefully we can find Alex too." He didn't seem to notice the hurt in Astrid's eyes.

"I don't need shadowing," Astrid insisted.

"Just in case. It'll make me feel better," Hiccup assured her.

"Fine! Just stay out of sight. If Alvin sees you, it'll all be over," she warned him.

"Don't worry about us," Hiccup told her. "Just make sure you find both the book and Alex and get out of there. We'll be waiting for you." There was an awkward silence as Hiccup looked at Astrid uncomfortably. "Oh, and Astrid? I should have listened to you and Alex about Heather. I hope you can forgive me."

Astrid was tempted to pull him in for a kiss right than and there. But she stopped herself and was reminded once again of how much he cared for Alex. "Consider yourself forgiven," she replied with a firm nod.

Fishlegs and Snotlout than pushed the boat into the water. "Hey, Astrid?" Hiccup quickly put in. "Be safe." Astrid nodded before the boat was swept away by the current.

...

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I woke up. Alvin was relentless when it came to figuring out what dragons I could bond with. Apparently he had more dragons in captivity than we had originally hoped.

"How is it even possible?" Alvin demanded after putting away the latest dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare. Unfortunately for him the dragons had reverted back to their wild selves when they were put in their cages. "How are you able to bond with the dragons?"

"I don't know," was all I could say. Some of the dragons hadn't responded so friendly compared to the others. In fact there was one that had nearly bitten my head off until one of Alvin's men pried it away just in time.

"What I do know is that you're my ticket to getting revenge on Berk," Alvin sneered. "With you're help we can control all of the dragons."

"I'd rather die." The venom in my voice would've sent anyone else running. Unfortunately Alvin wasn't just anyone. He just laughed and left the room, leaving me alone once again.

My eyes narrowed with hate once he was gone. Despite the obvious threat Alvin had tossed at me, I was determined to get away. I'd been working at the chains on the wall while Alvin was gone. The one good thing about this world: There were no spy cameras. It made an escape attempt much easier.

A few more hours of working at the wall's weak points, and I managed to create small cracks in the soil. This whole room was made out of an underground dungeon, or something along those lines. I'd overheard one of Alvin's men saying that this was actually a live dragon's nest.

Shaking my head at the thought, I made quick work of the chains holding me down. I may not be as strong as the Vikings, but when it came to defending the people I'd come to care about, I would use all the strength I could find.

...

Astrid was looking down at her map, making sure that she was headed in the right direction. She guided the boats around the rocks that suddenly loomed into view. They were jutting out of the water that looked like small spires.

Just then a green Monstrous Nightmare flew right over the boat, startling her. Astrid watched in awe as it soared up to the cliffs right above her. Despite the years of dragon raids and battling, she was always amazed at the sight of a wild dragon.

Once the boat had landed she jumped off to see Savage and a few other Outcasts already waiting for her. She didn't miss the fact that they had brought their weapons.

"We thought you'd been captured," Savage said with a sly smile. Astrid held back a sigh of relief; these men weren't smart enough to notice the differences between herself and Heather. And that was a good thing.

"I was," she replied after silently thanking herself for having good makeup. "But I managed to escape."

"Well, it's good to see you safe and sound," Savage replied as he bent down. Then he chuckled and turned to his men. "Get rid of her," he ordered.

"What?" Astrid nearly yelped.

"We don't need you anymore," Savage explained, turning his back to her.

"Savage, wait!" Astrid cried, desperately hoping he would listen. "You do need me! You have the book, right? I've watched and learned from them! That book is only worth something if you know how to use it."

"We don't need you since we have the girl as well," he snapped while raising a hand. Astrid had to think quickly. She knew that if they had Alex than chances were they'd have the book close by.

"Wait, let me talk to her!" she suddenly called as he walked away. Savage turned to look at her with a suspicious glare. "I've… talked to her before, even became friends with her." The word 'friends' made Astrid want to gag. "Just give me a chance."

Savage just stared at her suspiciously, not quite sure what to do.

...

Each one of the riders approaching Outcast island were carrying baskets full of fish. The plan was to entice the dragons into a feeding frenzy that would give the Outcasts a distraction for them to escape. They had to leave Snowfire behind in the risk that she might give away their position too early. Or worse, destroy the entire island in her quest to find her rider.

"I want to go for the record by saying I'm not sure about this plan, Hiccup," Fishlegs called in a nervous tone.

"If you have another one I'm open," Hiccup called back.

"I just think that landing in a wild dragon nesting ground is really gonna freak Meatlug out," Fishlegs protested. Meatlug just let out an excited growl as they flew on ahead.

"Really? Well how does she feel about flaming arrows and catapults?" Hiccup asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, she doesn't really like that either," Fishlegs replied.

"You don't say," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Tell you what, Fishlegs! When we get there you can just lay back and let the real dragons work," Snotlout suggested.

"Yeah, you really have no idea what a swarm of wild dragons are capable of," Fishlegs retorted.

"Hey, you know what would be awesome?" Tuffnut asked as he and his sister flew in behind Fishlegs.

"Flaming arrows, catapults," Ruffnut began with a sly look.

"And dragons," Tuffnut finished for her.

"That makes three of you," Fishlegs muttered.

...

Savage had led Astrid through the network of caves and into Alvin's throne room. She tried to keep a straight face as she caught Alvin reading the book.

"Seems pretty straight forward to me," Alvin said after closing the book.

"It's anything but straightforward, Alvin," Astrid reassured him.

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people will say anything to keep themselves alive," Alvin sneered. "Isn't that right, Savage?"

"Right as usual, Alvin," Savage chuckled in response. "But she did say that she could talk to that dragon girl," he quickly added. Alvin just laughed, and soon the other Outcast men in the cave were laughing nervously with him.

"You mean that little wretch who refuses to talk?" Alvin's voice suddenly got cold. "She's a real piece of work that one. Tested all of me dragons on her, and only one tried to eat 'er." Astrid hadn't even realized that her fists were clenched with fury.

She hated to admit that Alex was brave for not spilling the beans. But it was the fact that Alvin had tested dragons on her that sent fury through Astrid. If the dragons learned to trust humans than they could become part of Alvin's army.

"Look, just let me talk to her and I can sort things out for you," she tried reasoning with the deranged man. Alvin considered her suggestion before pointing a hand at Savage. His Second in Command was quick to obey and walked off while he flipped through the pages once again.

"So what kind of dragon is this?" he asked while scanning through the pages. Astrid tried not to smirk at his stupidity. It's a good thing that he had never read the book when he was banished from Berk.

"It's a Deadly Nadder," she replied without hesitation. The dragon had already flung two of Alvin's men across the room as they struggled to hold it down. "Do you need a page number?" she asked in a smug tone.

"Nope, nope," Alvin muttered. "I've got it right here." He looked down at the book before reading it out loud slowly. "Let's see…. Deadly Nadder. Likes to preen, very sure of itself, constant grooming." Alvin closed the book after reading the first two lines. "Alright, I'll appeal to it's vanity."

Astrid just smirked in amusement as Alvin tried to coax the dragon with words. He obviously didn't know what he was doing. And it seemed as though despite his best efforts to gain their trust, he had failed miserably. Maybe the dragons only listened to Alex when she bonded with them. That would make sense.

Suddenly the Deadly Nadder shrieked and raised it's tail. Knowing what it was about to do, Astrid rolled to the ground and grabbed a shield. She then landed in between Alvin and the Deadly Nadder just as it fired it's spikes. The spikes had landed on the shield instead of it's intended targets.

"Like I said, that book can only get you so far, Alvin," she repeated herself.

...

"Where do you think you're going?" I held back a cry of pain as Savage grabbed me by the wrist and threw me against the wall. "Heh, you've got a lot more guts than I realized."

"Let me go!" I didn't even keep track of how long I had been running, but right now I was exhausted.

"Right, where are my manners?" Savage chuckled as his grip loosened. Before I could escape he dug his nails into my shoulder, right where my scar was. This time I was fighting back tears as my shoulder felt like it was on fire. "You aren't going anywhere, except a nice little chat with Alvin and Heather."

I felt my blood run cold at the thought of seeing them again. In no way was I in a hurry to see either of them. But Savage wasn't giving me much of a say in the matter. He simply dragged me along as I struggled to free myself from his grip.

After a few minutes of this had gone by I was ready to pass out, again. A combination of hunger and lack of sleep was starting to take over. In all honesty I'd never felt more terrified. Alvin reminded me all too much of my father. He wasn't nearly as bad, but he was a close second.

Finally we reached what looked like a large throne room. My eyes widened in disbelief when I spotted a Deadly Nadder, the same one Alvin had used on me, tied up in ropes nearby. Sure enough Heather was standing beside Alvin, their backs turned to us.

"Alvin, this one was trying to escape again," Savage announced as he kicked me to the ground. The Outcast leader turned around and scowled in disgust.

"And here I thought your previous prison cell was accommodating enough," he sneered. Heather than turned around just as Alvin had and gasped in shock. "We'll make sure that changes." Faster than lightning he slapped me across the face, ignoring the icy glare I gave him. "Anyways, this lass here says that she knows how to use the Book of Dragons. And she can convince you to join us."

Heather's eyes narrowed with what looked like hate. That was when I noticed something off about her. Instead of green eyes she had blue eyes. Astrid's blue eyes. Realization only just dawned on me as Alvin gestured for her to talk.

"Um, sir?" she asked in a meek tone. Alvin raised an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously as she took a step towards me. "Would it be okay if we had a moment alone? It would be easier to talk, you know, girl to girl."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Alvin gave a faint nod. "Guard the doors, no one escapes," he ordered Savage and two other men. He was quick to follow, and once left alone I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Astrid?" My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard it loud and clear. Astrid only grinned sheepishly in response before crouching down to my level. The pain from earlier was still there, but it wasn't as bad now that Alvin and the others were gone.

"Look, we're trying to figure out a way out of here," she explained warily. "But we need the Book of Dragons as well." She glanced over at the door where Alvin was waiting behind. "Any chance we might be able to swipe it from him?"

"Not without a weapon of some kind," I muttered crossly. "I'm not even sure I could fight back if I wanted to." Astrid nodded in understanding before helping me back to my feet. I've never seen her this sympathetic. Then I realized that I must look like something the cat dragged in.

"Alright, I'll try to think of some way to get it back from Alvin," she explained as time started to move on. "For now, just play along." I looked at her in confusion until Alvin stepped in through the door, glancing at us both expectantly.

"Well? I'm waiting for an answer," he said, folding his arms in the process.

"Alex has agreed to your terms, Alvin," Astrid suddenly piped up, mimicking Heather's voice once more. Alvin just looked at us both in surprise.

"Alright than, we'll see if you're telling the truth, tomorrow," he told us. "For now, lock 'em up."

I held back a sigh of relief as we were dragged into separate prison cells. Despite the fact that I was locked up again, at least this time I knew that someone was planning a rescue. I just hoped that Hiccup and the others knew what they were getting themselves into.

...

The next morning we were dragged over to an arena, similar to the one on Berk. Astrid just gave me a faint nod before looking at Alvin hopefully.

"What is it?" Alvin demanded.

"The book, I'll need it," she replied. Alvin just looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I didn't memorize it."

With a reluctant sigh, Alvin handed it over and pushed us both into the arena. I looked around warily as a cage door began to open.

"Please be a Nadder, please be a Nadder," Astrid quietly begged. Looks like she didn't get her wish as a dark yellow and purple Monstrous Nightmare burst through the gate. Anyone else reminded of Spyro the Dragon? "Oh great," Astrid muttered when it engulfed itself in flames.

"Well!" Alvin called. "I'm waiting!"

"I've got this, if you can put on a show for them," I reassured her. Astrid looked at me before nodding in agreement.

"Alright big boy," Astrid began as she approached it slowly. The Nightmare was glaring at her through narrowed eyes. "It's just the three of us." Carefully she reached out with her arm, and I mentally facepalmed.

After watching Snotlout interact with Hookfang, I'd learned that's the worst thing you could do, especially if the dragon was enraged. Sure enough the Nightmare suddenly snapped. Astrid moved her hand out of the way just in time.

"Okay, check that off the list," Astrid muttered to herself. "How about a direct approach?"

I watched in amusement as she charged towards it and grabbed the Nightmare's tail. The dragon just growled in response and lifted it's tail, trying to shake her off.

"Our little Heather is a lot feistier than I remember," I heard Alvin say. Was he really that blind? I rolled my eyes at the thought. It was probably a good thing; we'd be screwed if he discovered that their 'Heather' was actually Astrid in disguise. The Monstrous Nightmare managed to throw Astrid off, and she was sent flying into a wall. "This isn't anything my soldiers have already tried! You'll have to do better!"

The Monstrous Nightmare chose that moment to spot me. Before Astrid or I could make sense of what was happening, I held out my hand as it charged. It stopped in it's tracks, growling in confusion as I locked eyes with it.

"Easy, I'm a friend," I reassured it. The dragon only narrowed it's eyes in confusion before lowering it's head. I waved Astrid over once the initial threat was gone. She quickly grabbed the book and hopped on just as I did.

"How did you do that?" Astrid asked in amazement.

"Long story," I replied with a shrug.

"I told you they knew what they were doing!" Alvin exclaimed once they realized it was over.

"Yes, you certainly did," Savage sighed. Unfortunately that was when the Outcast soldiers decided to show up. The Monstrous Nightmare aimed a wall of fire at the men, who scattered in a hasty attempt to avoid the flames.

"Let's go, tough guy," I patted the Nightmare's neck as it growled in agreement. As we made our way to the exit, Alvin suddenly caught us making a run for it.

"Going somewhere?" Alvin demanded.

"As far away from this damned place as possible!" I snapped. As Alvin kept us waiting, Savage returned with two frightened looking Vikings, leading them to the edge of the arena.

"Did you forget that I still have Heather's parents?" Alvin asked with a grim smile.

"Parents…. She was telling the truth!" Astrid gasped.

"I might see things my way and think of trading that book," Alvin sneered. "Or you can leave and I'll kill them."

Astrid and I exchanged stunned looks. I hadn't known about Heather's parents. But the fact that Alvin was holding them hostage explained everything. My fists clenched with fury at the thought. So this Alvin guy was more than just a bastard.

"Well, let's have it," Alvin ordered, reaching out for the book.

"Send them over first!" Astrid shouted.

"Fine!" Alvin muttered. "Off you go!" I narrowed my eyes in confusion as he shoved them forward. Just how stupid was Alvin?

The parents walked up to us slowly as Astrid jumped down and gave them a hug, eyes brimming with false joy.

"Mom! Dad!" she shouted happily. I tried not to laugh when I realized that they didn't recognize who Astrid was. It was reassuring to know that Alvin really was as stupid as I first thought. Astrid looked at them before explaining the situation, "We're friends of Heather's. We're here to help."

"You do realize that I'm never going to let you leave without that book?" Alvin demanded.

"No kidding!" I retorted. "When I tell you, drop to the ground. It's about to get really hot in here," I added in a whisper.

"Oh, Heather! I'm waiting!" Alvin snarled impatiently. I glared at Alvin coldly once again as Astrid threw the book in the air.

"Now!" I shouted. Heather's parents dropped to the ground immediately, "Sorry boy," I added to the Monstrous Nightmare. I punched him in the snout and watched as he shot fireballs at the Outcast men.

Once the book had landed, Astrid ran over to it, followed by me and Heather's parents. But Alvin threw a bola and managed to snare Heather's dad. Astrid put down the book again and ran over to help, only to find Alvin rushing after it.

Before he could though, Astrid threw herself at it. While she was dealing with Alvin I helped out Heather's dad. That was until Alvin decided to grab her by the hair.

"Heather, Heather, Heather," Alvin tsked his tongue in mock disappointment. Astrid just glared at him as he finally realized who he was dealing with. "Or are you?" Astrid used Alvin's distraction to momentarily knock him out.

As soon as he was on the ground she signaled for us to follow. Heather's parents were eager to get off the island as we made our way over to the sea cliffs.

"Nice makeup, by the way," I murmured as we reached them.

"It's amazing what a little cloth and ash can do for you," Astrid replied with a smirk. As I helped Heather's parents up she waved. I looked up just in time to see that the other riders were waiting for us. Just as Toothless came in, Heather's parents gave startled shouts.

"It's okay, they're friends," I reassured them.

"Who's this?" Hiccup asked once they landed.

"Heather's parents," Astrid replied with a sarcastic tone. "She was telling the truth, just go with the plan." Hiccup turned just in time to see Alvin appear from behind some rocks.

"Oi, there they are," Alvin greeted us with a triumphant smirk. "Get them!" I hadn't even noticed until now that he still had the Book of Dragons around his belt. "Hiccup! Bet you're surprised to see me here," he bellowed.

"Not really," Hiccup replied. "This is where you live." Toothless let out an uncomfortable growl, knowing that we were in danger of getting captured again. "Easy bud." He patted Toothless' head for comfort. "Looks like he's got us, this time."

"You know Hiccup, with this book and my knowledge of warfare, and the power that girl has," his finger pointed in my direction, earning a glare from all of us, "we could make quite the team! How does that sound?"

"Hmm, insane, demented, delusional, and stupid!" Hiccup replied while listing each adjective on his fingers.

"And you already have my answer," I added. Alvin just scowled before coming up with another plan.

"Alright, then we'll just have to agree to disagree," he finally replied. "You two are smart, I'll give you that. But you know I can't let you leave the island."

"And you're a smart, murderous barbarian, Alvin," Hiccup snapped. "You know I have a better plan than this."

"So do I!" Alvin slammed his fist into an open palm.

"Now!" Hiccup yelled.

"Now!" Alvin said at the same time.

Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins suddenly appeared, flying in the air towards the Outcasts. The battle seemed to drag on for hours until the Outcasts suddenly turned the table. I managed to knock out a few Outcasts here and there, despite the exhaustion from earlier. It was like seeing the dragons had given me some sense of hope or something.

Unfortunately for us, the Outcasts soon had us surrounded. Meatlug had nearly been ensnared by a net, while Barf and Belch's heads were tied together by a rope, and of course the twins had fallen off shortly after. Hookfang tried keeping them back, but he was running out fire power fast. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw Sniper, Jacob's dragon, fire a blast at one of the catapults, destroying them in seconds.

"There's too many of them!" Snotlout yelled while avoiding arrows.

"We're never getting out of this!" Astrid added.

Suddenly an eerie screech followed, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. The screech gave my arms goosebumps, and I recognized it almost immediately. Flying towards us at a fast pace was Snowfire.

"Is that… White Terror!" Alvin's cry was cut off as Snowfire landed in front of him, snarling in outrage.

' _If you ever touch or hurt my rider again, I will rip your throat out and feed it to the Scauldron's_!' Her words were directed to Alvin, who was trembling in horror as she turned back towards me. ' _I have missed you, little one_ ,' she added after pressing her snout to my hands.

"I missed you too," I whispered back. "But, how did you get here?"

' _With some help_ ,' she replied. I looked up in time to see Stormfly pulling the net off of Fishlegs and Meatlug, than she fired a jet of flames at Barf and Belch, freeing them.

"Is that…?" Astrid's question was already answered for her. Riding on Stormfly was Heather, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Heather!" Hiccup said with a smile.

"And Stormfly!" Astrid added joyfully.

"What, Heather?" Alvin looked around angrily as Heather landed Stormfly in the center. Astrid wasted no time in running over to Stormfly so that she could hug her dragon.

"I'm sorry we didn't believe you," Astrid apologized.

"It's okay," Heather replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't have believed me either. And Alex, I'm sorry for what I did. I never would have done that if Alvin didn't have my parents."

"Well, since Snowfire already forgives you, I guess I should too," I murmured sheepishly.

"Now lets go get your parents," Astrid said, hopping on to Stormfly.

"So what did I miss while I was gone?" I asked once I was on Snowfire. We took to the air and kept the Outcasts distracted while Astrid and Heather went to rescue her parents.

"Nothing much," Hiccup replied. "Okay guys, just like we practiced. "Ruffnut, cover fire!"

"It's about time!" Ruffnut muttered as she pulled back on Barf's horns, prompting him to spray gas all over the Outcasts. They flew all around the Outcasts in order to create a thick fog, and to block their view.

"I love this part!" Tuffnut yelled and yanked back on Belch's head. Belch let loose with spark that ignited the entire gas cloud, blowing up four catapults in the process.

Another catapult flung a larger boulder straight towards Hiccup and Toothless. They managed to dodge it, but it was also headed straight for Fishlegs and Meatlug.

"Fishlegs, incoming!" he warned them. Meatlug suddenly whirled around and swallowed the boulder with ease.

"Whoa, nice catch girl!" Fishlegs praised her.

"They've gotten better," I realized as Snowfire circled them all. I wouldn't join in the fight unless absolutely necessary.

' _They have practiced_ ,' Snowfire replied.

"Yep, and it gets better after this," Jacob said with a grin as he followed Hookfang and Snotlout.

As Meatlug destroyed the catapult the Outcasts standing on the dead trees started firing flaming arrows. Snowfire was able to dodge each one as they were aimed towards us, while Snotlout and Hookfang flew towards the trees.

Hookfang quickly ignited himself, and Stormfly fired a volley of spikes that caught on fire through the flames. As soon as they hit the already dead trees, they caught on fire. The Outcasts abandoned their posts just before they were caught up in flames.

"You feeling the heat boys?" Snotlout cried in triumph. "'Cause I am!"

"Great job guys," Hiccup called. "Now let's get out of here."

Relief washed over me as we turned around to leave. I hadn't noticed until it was too late that Alvin set up another catapult. Only this time it was big enough for a person to fit in. And of course they had to put Savage in it.

As they released the catapult, Savage was flung over Snowfire. I barely had time to react as he managed to throw me off balance. Snowfire let out a roar of fury as we both landed in the dead forest, where the trees weren't caught on fire.

Luckily the branches had broken the fall. But as soon as I landed on the ground, Alvin grabbed me by the hair.

"Alex!" Hiccup yelled and flew Toothless towards us.

"You didn't think I'd let you go so easily, did ya?" Alvin sneered as Toothless fired several plasma blasts. Alvin still held on despite the punch I delivered in the stomach. "Surrender!" Alvin yelled while dragging me towards the cliff. Several times I managed to fight back, but as usual Alvin seemed oblivious. "Or I'll… well, you get the idea."

I spotted Snowfire in the distance struggling to reach us. But Toothless was faster and reared up to fire a plasma blast. That was when I noticed a familiar looking Monstrous Nightmare flying underneath.

"Hiccup, don't shoot!" I called. Toothless only crooned in confusion and swallowed the plasma blast. Seconds later and the Monstrous Nightmare flew up so that he could jump on the cliff. "Good boy," I couldn't help but say as he slammed into Alvin, knocking him unconscious. Once I retrieved the Book of Dragons, Snowfire managed to catch up and landed beside the Nightmare, growling in annoyance. "Easy, he's a friend," I reassured her.

Once Alvin had recovered we were already fleeing from the island. The Monstrous Nightmare Astrid and I befriended flew behind us, happy to get away as I climbed back into Snowfire's saddle.

"Who is that?" Hiccup called, referring to the Nightmare behind us.

"Just a new friend Astrid and I made," I replied.

...

It took half the day to reach Berk. By the time we did it was nightfall. The Monstrous Nightmare that had rescued me gave us one last thankful look before taking off, relishing in his new-found freedom.

Heather and her parents were grateful that we had rescued them. Now we were saying our goodbyes as a boat full of supplies was placed by the docks. Despite our differences I could see why Heather had done everything she did. And she was loyal enough to her family that she would put her life at risk. That in itself was amazing.

"I can't thank you all enough," Heather said while looking at us all. "Especially you, Astrid and Alex. You both put your lives on the line for us." Heather than hugged both Astrid and me, though ours was a bit more hesitant.

With that said and done, she turned to Hiccup and Toothless. "I'll miss you too," she said. "Both of you," she added with a laugh, patting Toothless on the head.

"Who knows, maybe we'll see each other again," Hiccup replied with a shrug.

"Maybe we will," Heather said with a small smile.

"Just one thing," Hiccup put in. "If you need help, just as for it."

"I promise," she replied sheepishly. Once Heather and her family was gone, a sense of relief washed over the group. I hadn't realized until now that Hiccup was watching me curiously.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a sheepish tone.

"Well, I'm not a captive anymore, so…" I shrugged and realized how dumb that sounded. All honesty put aside, I wasn't sure how I should be feeling. Being held as Alvin's captive had made me realize just how vulnerable I was.

Before I could make sense of what was happening, Hiccup pulled me in for a hug. Everyone else just stood there in awkward silence as I hugged him back. For the first time I realized that I actually felt safe. Not just on Berk, but with him.

"So are you two gonna kiss or what?" Tuffnut's question made my cheeks burn red as a tomato. I tried not to laugh when Hiccup's did as well.

"Sorry," he muttered after we broke apart. "I just… worried…" My heart was racing when he suddenly pulled me in for a kiss. I wasn't even sure how to react. My legs felt like they were made of jelly as I accepted the embrace.

For a moment it felt like the world was spinning until we broke apart once more. Hiccup's cheeks were a bright red, while mine probably were steaming.

"Ugh, save that for when you're alone," Snotlout muttered while Ruffnut snickered in agreement.

Fishlegs tried covering Meatlug's eyes as she growled in confusion. All at once I could feel Jacob's eyes watching me. Somehow, being with Hiccup felt right. Yet I couldn't help feeling guilt as I realized what just happened.

"Sorry, again." I didn't miss the strange look Astrid had given us, and couldn't help but look away.

"You seriously have to stop apologizing," she finally snapped. "Can you give us all a moment alone?" Hiccup and I looked at Astrid in surprise as the other riders exchanged looks. The awkward silence that followed again was unnerving as they shrugged and left.

"Astrid I—" She stopped Hiccup before he could get another word in.

"Look, I'm the one who should be apologizing," I murmured, feeling half embarrassed and half guilty for what just happened. Astrid just rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"Just stop, please," she muttered after sighing in annoyance. "Look, I get that there's something going on between you two. The whole village knows it. So why can't you just admit it already?" For a moment we just stared at her.

I already promised that I wouldn't get between them, and now look what happened. Before either of us could say anything, Toothless made a crooning sound and nudged Hiccup forward. Snowfire hummed in amusement when Hiccup and I locked eyes again.

"So," I started as the awkwardness continued. "What now?"

' _You humans are so strange_ ,' Snowfire suddenly chimed in.

"I guess… We're a couple now," Hiccup suggested as if the words were alien to him. In all honesty I wasn't even sure what to say to that. I'd never had a boyfriend or anything remotely close to that.

"Yeah, I guess we could go with that." I couldn't help but grin sheepishly once I realized what just happened.

' _It's about time_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement. All of us laughed at that, having only just noticed how much time really did pass since Heather left.

...

Meeting Heather made me realize how lucky I really was. Not only had I found a new place to call home, but I had also found something more. For the first time in my life, I had someone else to call more than just family.

* * *

 **AN: Nothing like a little awkward romance to make a happy ending XD By the way, has anyone seen the new Big Bang Theory last night? Can anyone scream some ShAmy?! Love that pairing for some reason :P**

 **The Silent Fury - Indeed it is...**

 **Sil - She is, and she knows just who to take her frustration out on ;)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Well, maybe not her father, but I have been planning a short series on Snowfire. Basically following her life before she meets Alex. I probably will start posting it on Christmas Day as a Christmas gift for everyone :D**


	24. Thawfest

**Chapter Twenty Four**

* * *

" _Here we are, don't turn away now, We are the warriors that built this town. Here we are, don't turn away now, We are the warriors that built this town From dust..._ " - Warriors, Imagine Dragons

* * *

I couldn't believe what just happened last night. My mind was still trying to work out what just happened. Snowfire had been laughing at my facial expression when we got back to my place, after the fact that Hiccup had given me a kiss goodnight.

It was just something that I couldn't get used to. Even Toothless had warbled with laughter when we said our goodbyes. But in the end a kiss was still a kiss. And a relationship as still a relationship. That was what my mind had trouble working with.

' _Are you having trouble sleeping_?' Snowfire's hum of amusement stopped me from pacing.

"Would it be weird to say that I'm not sure what to do?" I asked warily. Snowfire only cocked her head to one side as I let out a sigh. "It's just that, I've never been in any relationship… It's all a bit new for me."

' _I'm sure that the other hatchling has the same troubles_ ,' she replied. ' _He does not look like someone who would have had a mate before this_.' I couldn't hide the blush that followed.

"You do know that humans don't use the term 'mate', right?" I leaned against the table as Snowfire simply let out a puff of smoke in my face. "And why me, of all people? What exactly have I done that makes me stand out?"

' _You have done many things that most humans wouldn't even consider_ ,' she reassured me. ' _You are from another world, and yet your heart belongs here_.' I fell quiet after that, having realized that she was partly right.

Part of my heart did belong here. But another part of me yearned to see my mom again, and make sure that she was okay. I shook my head at the thought and tried to clear it. Tomorrow was important day for everyone. The day that I'd heard Hiccup complaining about since arriving on Berk.

Thawfest. It was a festival held on Berk every year to test one's strength. Basically it was like the contests you would watch at Celtic Festivals, if anyone has ever been to one. It also sounded like the kind of festival I would avoid at all costs.

Either way it should be exciting.

...

We were all gathered in the arena the following morning. This year there were a few new changes to the traditional competitions. Not only had dragons been added into the competitions, but according to Stoick, I was now an official Berkian, which meant I had to take part in them. Though at least I wasn't the only new challenger this year. Jacob stood between Fishlegs and Astrid, eyeing the arena warily.

Banners were hoisted up high in the sky as the safety net covering the arena was lifted. Benches had been put in place for everyone to watch. All of the riders, me included, were gathered in the center of the arena while Gobber gave out the morning announcements.

"Dragons are now officially part of Thawfest!" he explained in an eager tone. "There'll be three additional events," he put in as the crowd cheered in delight. "The first if fly and shoot, which will require you to fly straight and shoot straighter."

Gobber ducked just as Barf and Belch fired a gas ball at him. Tuffnut was rubbing the back of his helmet in confusion while Ruffnut snickered at the explosion.

"Sorry, wrong heads!" Tuffnut apologized.

"I knew something felt weird!" Ruffnut grunted as the twins switched heads. They shot another blast, and while Gobber ducked again his flag caught on fire in the process.

"Ah, much better," Tuffnut sighed in relief.

"Next is freestyle," Gobber went on after blowing out the fire on his flag. "It's up to you to impress the judges with a trick of your choice."

' _That can be done easily_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we watched Astrid try a few tricks with Stormfly. They were turning in tight-nit circles, careful not to break their concentration until Stormfly had come to a full stop.

"That's it girl," Astrid praised the Nadder. "Just like we practiced."

"Uh, excuse me?" Fishlegs asked as he raised his hand. "Meatlug and I were wondering if there would be any intellectual events, such as puzzles perhaps," he suggested with a hopeful look.

"I'll take that under advisement, Fishlegs," Gobber replied while patting him on the shoulder. "And let's not forget, the hurdles—" Gobber was interrupted once again as a loud cheer rang throughout the crowd. I rolled my eyes in annoyance as Snotlout and Hookfang finally arrived.

"Great, there goes the arena," I muttered under my breath. They landed heavily on the ground between Stormfly and Meatlug, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Snotlout dismounted Hookfang and joined us shortly after, giving us all a smug look as he stood beside Tuffnut.

What really took the cake though was the fact that he was wearing all of the medals from his previous wins. Again I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to smack him right in the nose.

"You know what I love the most about the Thawfestival games?" he asked while glancing at them. "Winning! Wanna touch one of my medals? Just to see what it feels like to be a winner?" I knew he was just egging everyone on. But I didn't miss the sour look Hiccup gave him.

Before Snotlout could say anything else, Snowfire let out a puff of snow that covered his face. By now everyone was laughing at the looks Snotlout gave her after shaking it off.

"My family has never lost a Thawfest game, ever!" Snotlout continued bragging once he'd recovered.

"Here we go…" Astrid sighed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

I nodded in agreement, leaning against Snowfire as she glared at Snotlout. This was what I hated about him the most. Not only was he loud and obnoxious, but he also loved bragging. It was just something that seemed to come naturally to him. To make matters worse he was picking on poor Hiccup the entire time, not giving notice to the other riders.

"He really likes to brag, doesn't he?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Yep, and who does that remind you of?" I looked at him in amusement, thinking of the way Jessica had acted back in high school. Jacob only smirked when he realized who I was talking about.

"Dragons, or no dragons, I'm gonna do what I do every year – bring glory to my clan. And you, of course, get to embarrass yours." His smug look was just begging to be smacked to kingdom come as he backed away towards Hookfang.

' _I'd watch your tone, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire suddenly snapped. Snotlout didn't even seem phased by her words as he got onto Hookfang's saddle.

"Let's go Hookfang!" The Monstrous Nightmare jumped in surprise, causing Snotlout to twirl upside down, dangling from his neck as his dragon flew off. I had to laugh at the sight, suddenly wishing I had a camera. "I will crush you all!" he called once they were far enough away.

Everyone started mumbling in agreement, while I just glared after them. The only one on Berk to ever come close to beating Snotlout in the Thawfest games was Astrid. She was proud of the fact, but still disappointed and angry that she had lost.

"So I take it you have an idea for this years games?" I asked once the crowd began to thin out. Hiccup just gave me a knowing smirk before turning towards Toothless.

"Let's just say I'm about to give Snotlout a taste of his own medicine," he replied.

"I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to scare the wits out of him yesterday," Gobber put in. I held back a sly grin at the memory. "So, is it true, what Astrid said about you two?" The arena suddenly became awkwardly silent once he asked that.

Almost at once Hiccup and I exchanged looks before we shrugged. Aside from Astrid, Stoick was the only person we told. You could imagine what Stoick had said about that. Much to my surprise, and Hiccup's, Stoick had actually approved. In fact, he was happy with the choice the heir to Berk had made.

"Yeah." Gobber just looked at the two of us like we had grown wings.

"I wouldn't let Snotlout get to you," I added with a roll of my eyes. "He's a jerk, but Snowfire can easily put him in his place." To which she hummed in agreement.

"Oh I'm sure she could," Hiccup replied with a smirk.

...

I was back in my place later that night. Studying a way to work on techniques for the freestyle course. So far we'd managed to outsmart everyone when it came to freestyle. Snowfire had a way of intimidating the dragons while she herself performed moves no other dragon on the island could.

One of those techniques happened to be creating snow. I'd learned that there were no other dragons like Snowfire. She was the only one of her kind that could breathe both fire and ice. How she was able to do that, I'd never fully understand.

"So, any ideas on what to do for the competitions?" I asked warily. The dragon part of the competitions we could win easily. But the rest of the games, that was more difficult. Hopefully I wouldn't look too pathetic out there.

' _Perhaps it is not about brute strength_ ,' Snowfire replied with a hum of amusement. I only rolled my eyes and looked back at everything we had done. ' _Winning isn't everything_ ,' she suddenly added. I tried not to smirk at that, knowing full well my mom would have said the same thing.

"Alright, we'll just work on our freestyle than," I sighed after pushing away the journal. It had everything from my first time arriving in this world, to even before than. One of these days I'd have to look back at it.

...

It was early in the morning when we were all gathered in the arena for the Thawfestival Games. On the cliff wall were less than exciting paintings of our faces that would keep score. Stoick stood on a wooden stage as the crowd cheered in excitement.

"Let the Thawfestival Games begin!" Stoick announced, throwing his arms out. And to start out the games, Stoick opened a chest where a group of colorful Terrible Terrors were kept in.

The crowd went wild at the sight. This was after all the first time Thawfest was held with dragons involved. It was an exciting time for everyone, including the dragons. Until of course some of the Terrible Terrors decided to get cheeky and steal some of the bystanders food.

Spitelout, who I learned was Snotlout's father, was with him giving an outstanding pep talk. Now I understood where Snotlout got his obnoxiousness from.

"What are we?" Spitelout shouted.

"We're killers!" Snotlout replied with a face that made me nearly roll over laughing. If only I had a camera.

"What do we do?"

"We kill!"

"What do we say?"

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" The two banged helmets once their cheers were over.

In no time we were all lined up in the Academy for the first event. Bucket and Mulch were the official game announcers, much to my amusement. This reminded me so much of the Olympic sports I used to watch with my mom.

"The contestants are lining up for the Sheep Lug!" Mulch announced.

"It's a good day for lugging sheep," Bucket replied.

"Well Bucket, every day is a good day for lugging sheep," Mulch replied with a nod of agreement.

From what I gathered the game was simple enough. Each contestant had a sheep placed on their shoulder and had to lug it all the way to the finish line before dropping the animal to let it loose. Gobber carefully placed the sheep on each contestant's shoulders. The extra weight made me want to throw it off immediately, but I resisted.

Snotlout was more than ready to leave everyone in the dust. I secretly hoped he dropped the sheep in the process, though I would feel sorry for the poor sheep. Hiccup just glared at Snotlout's arrogance before glancing at me.

"Good luck," I mouthed before getting ready to run. The smile that followed was enough to make me feel like I could carry a tree.

"On your mark… get set…" Mulch said slowly in order to build anticipation. Than a loud clank followed.

The bang on Bucket's helmet signaled for us to start the race. Snotlout, Hiccup and I had managed to reach the finish line while the others fell behind due to exhaustion. I was surprised even Astrid couldn't manage to carry a sheep across her shoulders. The only downside was that the sheep didn't seem to enjoy getting lugged around like bales of hay.

Snotlout had won in the end. Hiccup barely managed to reach the finish line before collapsing, dropping the sheep in the process. The sheep I was holding had managed to kick and struggle it's way free before I could reach the finish line.

"Yeah!" Snotlout shouted with pride as he threw the sheep down.

"That's my boy!" Spitelout cheered with a triumphant grin.

"The point of the Thawfest Game goes to Snotlout!" Mulch announced to the cheering crowds. Snotlout grinned at the line that was painted right by his face. I rolled my eyes in annoyance as he started rubbing it in.

"Right where you are! Down at my feet! Here, let me help you." Snotlout reached out with a hand, making everyone look at him in surprise. But before Hiccup could do anything, Snotlout withdrew his hand. "Oops! Too slow! As usual." Snotlout didn't get very far without receiving a punch in the gut from me.

"You okay?" I couldn't help but glare at Snotlout. What was it with that bastard and winning? There were times when I did wish that Snowfire would make quick work of him. But Snotlout was Snotlout, and unfortunately he couldn't be changed.

"I've been better," Hiccup muttered as I helped him up.

"Hey, there will be plenty more events that you can beat him at," I reassured him. "And there's no way he could win at the dragon competitions." Hiccup nodded in agreement as we headed for the next event.

One of my least favorites, the Log Roll. I've only seen this done on television, and even than it didn't look easy. I wasn't the most coordinated person when it came to walking on logs or any beams for that matter.

"Next up is our traditional Log Roll event!" Mulch announced once we were all gathered. Basically the Log Roll was an event where you had to run on the log for as long as you could without falling off. The hardest part was keeping your balance. Down below was a rocky pit where the opponents could fall off.

"Enjoy your face plants!" Snotlout sneered as Bucket's helmet clanged.

All of us started running in place as the competition began. Snotlout and I exchanged looks before I sped up, leaving him to speed up in the process. The first one to fall off was Astrid, who was thrown off by Fishlegs' hand. He fell off shortly after, followed by the twins as they were thrown into a nearby wall. In the end it was just Snotlout and I as we kept pace with each other. The glare Snotlout gave me was priceless as I held on, despite the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm me. I couldn't help but wince when Jacob was the last to fall, landing hard on the ground in a thud nearby.

"And another point goes to Snotlout!" Mulch announced. The crowd went wild again, until Mulch waved his hand for silence. "Wait, it seems Alex has earned a point as well. Now that's what I call determination!"

"That's me boy!" Spitelout cheered with pride while I was ready to pass out in exhaustion. Toothless leaped into the rocks to help Hiccup up. I couldn't watch as his prosthetic leg got caught on the log.

"Ow! Thank you, Toothless," Hiccup groaned while Snowfire helped me off of the log. Frankly I'm amazed that I survived that long.

"Now I know how a hamster feels," I muttered after rubbing my legs. The look Hiccup gave me was priceless. I keep forgetting that certain animals aren't well known around these parts. "Sorry, reference to my world," I explained with a shrug.

"That was amazing," Hiccup said with a grin. "How'd you manage to stay on the log?"

"Honestly, even I don't know," I replied sheepishly. "There are still more events to look forward to," I added after glancing at the scoreboard. I was more than surprised to see that I had a point. And of course Snotlout had two.

However, the next event was probably one of my least favorites. The Axe Throwing event. Now if it were archery, that might be a different story. When I was ten I started taking archery lessons, but stopped before the summer was even over. I bet I could still remember what I'd learned than. But axe throwing was something completely different, as Mulch was about to explain.

"The next event is the Axe Throwing contest, where accuracy is supreme," Mulch announced. As he spoke, Snotlout aimed at a barrel and threw his axe forward. "Bull's-eye!" Mulch said as the axe landed dead-on it's target.

The others… weren't so lucky. Astrid and Fishlegs' axes collided with each other as they both threw at the same time. The axes went spinning out of control and landed just by the barrel. As for the twins, they weren't much better. They managed to lose their balance while throwing their axes around. Jacob's axe almost hit the target by just a few inches, much to my surprise.

Hiccup and I were up next. I took a deep breath before throwing my axe. It was heavier than I thought and had missed the target by a few inches. But to my surprise I wasn't disappointed. In fact I was glad that I actually managed to throw the axe. Hiccup's throw was pretty good as well. But the barrel unfortunately was too far away, and the axe had landed on the ground in front of it.

"Here's how it's done, _dragon boy_!" Snotlout sneered as he shoved Hiccup aside. He tossed multiple axes at once, and still managed to get a perfect aim. How the hell was that even possible?

"Showoff!" Hiccup grumbled under his breath as I glared at the bastard. Spitelout only made it worse by sharing his own 'words of wisdom'.

"Why don't you just give us your medal now, Stoick?" he demanded in a sneer. "Save your boy the embarrassment?" Stoick just glared at him, obviously exasperated by the amount of gloating the two were doing.

' _If you don't shut up now, I might just freeze the both of you_ ,' Snowfire snapped in an angry voice. Her words were directed to the both of them, and Spitelout's eyes were wide with shock.

"Be my guest," I muttered with a shrug. Snowfire only hummed in amusement as the air around us suddenly got colder. But only enough to keep Spitelout quiet, for now. Hiccup looked at the scoreboard and let out a sigh of frustration.

"Wow! I have all three points _and_ the best looking picture? Unfair!" Snotlout gloated again.

"Yeah, and I still have one," I reminded him, pointing at my picture with a point line next to it.

"What's the big deal? You just have one point? I doubt you and Hiccup could ever catch up with me!" Snotlout scoffed. I only folded my arms and glared at Snotlout. Sometimes words weren't enough to describe how much I wanted to make his life miserable. Snotlout was starting to make Mildew look _good_ , and that's saying something.

"Oh, have your fun for now," Hiccup warned him. I hadn't even noticed until now that he was glaring. "Tomorrow, everything changes… Right, bud?" Toothless crooned in agreement as he looked at his dragon best friend.

"Hm, with the dragon competition coming up, I'm not sure if Snowfire will let you win," I chimed in. Snowfire hummed as she stood next to me, glaring at Snotlout in the process. "She doesn't take too kindly to losing." Snotlout didn't even seem phased.

"Oh I can't wait," he replied with a smirk. "Because Hookfang and I? It's like boy and dragon have become one. We're like a bragon. or a droy."

' _I'll believe it when I see it_ ,' Snowfire snapped as Snotlout got onto Hookfang.

"Or Snotfang!" he shouted as they took off.

"Let me know when you start coming up with good names!" I called once they were gone.

"Yeah? Well, tomorrow you're gonna have to deal with… _Hicctooth_!" Hiccup put in. Both Toothless and Snowfire gave him funny looks while I just folded my arms.

"Hicctooth?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah, not my snappiest comment," Hiccup admitted sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why are you letting yourself get caught up in this?" I couldn't help but ask. Part of me already knew the answer. But something told me there was more to it than Snotlout's constant gloating.

"Because, for the first time ever, I have a chance to beat Snotlout," he replied after sighing in frustration. "To quiet him down—" Snotlout didn't give him the chance to finish as Hookfang flew past in a rude manner.

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" Snotlout chanted as they flew away.

"What an ass," I muttered under my breath. But I did understand what Hiccup meant. Seeing Snotlout silent for a change would be nice. "But still," I added with a grin. "It would be nice to see someone else win a Thawfest medal." I didn't miss of determination that suddenly gleamed in his eyes.

"You've spiked your last sheep, 'Snotfang'. Tomorrow's a new day," he said in a voice full of determination.

"Just try not to let the competition get to your head," I reminded him before heading out to get ready for tomorrow. The following morning would prove whether or not he was right.

...

"Welcome to day two of the Thawfest Games!" Mulch announced. It was early the next morning, and we were all eager to get started with the competitions.

"It's a good day for lugging sheep," Bucket added in a hopeful voice.

At the Academy there were hurdles placed all over. The competition was to see whether or not the rider and dragon could get underneath them. This should be interesting. Snowfire may be twice the size of the other dragons around her, but she was still able to get through small spaces. I was actually looking forward to seeing what she could do.

"First up, the hurdles!" Mulch continued as the crowd roared in excitement.

"Hurdles schmurdles," Snotlout snorted in amusement. "I could go over them in my sleep. Might as well give me that point now."

"Be my guest," Hiccup replied with a gesture towards the hurdles. To which I just rolled my eyes while Snowfire hummed in amusement at Snotlout's ignorance.

"Snotlout has the rules all wrong again," Astrid muttered under her breath. Even she was fed up with him. And that was saying something.

"You don't go over the hurdles," I retorted. "You go _under_." Snotlout blinked in surprise before scoffing again.

"Duh, I knew that."

' _Of course you did_ ,' Snowfire said sarcastically.

"And first up is Fishlegs!" At the signal, Fishlegs and Meatlug were off. I wasn't surprised to see them struggle in this course. Poor Meatlug got stuck under the first hurdle, while Fishlegs looked a bit ashamed of himself. Gronckles weren't exactly built for this kind of competition.

"Um, guys! A little help over here! It's okay girl," Fishlegs reassured Meatlug as her ears folded in defeat. I couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Meatlug. Now if it were a rock eating contest, she'd win hands down.

Jacob and Sniper were up next. Watching the two of them made me realize just how close they had gotten over the past few months. Sniper followed Jacob's orders almost immediately, growling only a few times when the crowd's cheering grew louder. Unfortunately things didn't end well for them when Sniper's tail suddenly caught on one of the hurdles. His reaction, not too great. I couldn't help but wince when Sniper suddenly caught himself on fire and roared in surprise as he collapsed on the ground nearby.

Astrid and Stormfly were up next. They were doing pretty good, until Stormfly's tail caught on one of the hurdles. I tried not to laugh when Astrid showed signs of frustration. Stormfly had done her best, but a loss is still a loss.

The twins were after Astrid. Barf and Belch pretty much made Meatlug look good with the hurdles. With their two heads, they barely got under any hurdles before the Zippleback got their heads tangled in one hurdle. The attempt at flying under the hurdle sent the twins flying off of their saddles and into the crowd.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked as Snowfire and I were up next. She only hummed in response before nuzzling me affectionately.

' _I am ready_ ,' she replied. Snowfire curled her wings so that she appeared smaller as she flew under the hurdles. Like that time with the tree, she was able to fly under every hurdle without touching them. I couldn't hide my happiness when we received another point. ' _No one can best me_.' The smugness in her voice made me smirk as she landed nearby. Now it was just Snotlout and Hiccup that were left.

"Where's your book, Hiccup? You might wanna take notes. Ha!" Snotlout taunted before Hookfang took off. I had to laugh when Hookfang flew under the hurdles. But it seemed that Snotlout was too big for Hookfang to go any further.

By now even Hiccup was smiling as Snotlout got smacked in the forehead while Hookfang flew on. He yelped several times until the competition was finally finished. Once Hookfang had landed there was a nasty bruise on his forehead.

"What was that about taking notes?" I asked in a mocking voice. Snotlout just scowled at us as Hiccup got ready.

"Let's show them how it's done, bud," Hiccup said as Toothless took off. I watched in awe as Toothless glided smoothly under all of the hurdles. At one point they were even flying upside down. That to me showed just how much Hiccup had grown as a rider.

"And Hiccup makes a perfect run!" Mulch exclaimed as the crowd cheered on.

I couldn't help but grin as they put the mark next to Hiccup's picture. But the moment I went over to congratulate him, he did something completely unexpected.

"Did you hear what he said?" he asked enthusiastically. "A _perfect_ run! I-I believe those are my first Thawfest points, ever! I just realized something… I like beating Snotlout! I feel taller! Am I taller? Never mind, don't answer that?"

I resisted the urge to facepalm at that moment. This was a side of Hiccup I had never seen. And apparently I wasn't the only one to take notice of it.

"Is he… gloating?" Fishlegs asked hesitantly.

"I'm not sure," Astrid admitted. "I've never actually seen him gloat." Astrid looked at me as if she thought I'd know something she didn't. I could only bite the bottom of my lip, because honestly what _was_ I supposed to say?

"Don't get too excited," Snotlout cut in. My eyes narrowed with annoyance as I saw the reason behind this odd behavior. "You know what this is? The number of wins I need to end this thing," he said smugly. He than held up two more fingers and continued, "And you know what this is? Still the number of chances I have to win."

To which Hiccup held up two fingers that were centimeters apart. "Oh yeah? Well you know what this is? The size of your brain. No. Wait…" Hiccup paused and pinched his fingers together, "That's better."

"Like you've ever seen my brain," Snotlout scoffed after looking taken aback by Hiccup's comeback. "Come on, Hookfang," he huffed as he and Hookfang left. Hiccup than turned to see me looking at him in concern and slight disappointment.

"What? He started it… when I was five," he said in his defense.

' _You are acting like a hatchling Zippleback_ ,' Snowfire suddenly chided. ' _One obnoxious human is more than enough_.' Hiccup looked at us both like we were crazy. And I hadn't even said anything! Although I did have to agree with Snowfire on that one. I just hoped I never had to see him act like Snotlout again.

"Next up, Freestyle competition!" Mulch announced. "Contestants and their dragons show off your skills and abilities!" Barf and Belch were the first to start the competition.

"Check this out!" Ruffnut called as she balanced on one foot on her brother's head.

"We call it the 'Iron Split'!" Tuffnut added as Barf and Belch did a neck split, making him perform one as well. A bunch of Vikings in the crowd winced at the sight. They just got a few meager points after they were finished.

Fishlegs was up next. "We like to call this next feat of daring, ' _The Extreme Butterfly_ '!" he announced. Meatlug began to fly around in a circle, going faster and faster until she got dizzy and crashed. Needless to say, the judges were not impressed. "It's okay girl. This just wasn't our commercial either," he reassured Meatlug.

Then Stormfly and Astrid wowed the crowd with their balance trick. She put on an entire gymnastics routine on her Nadder's back while flying around. It was an impressive sight. Astrid had almost perfect balance and didn't fall off even once.

"How does she make it look so easy?" Fishlegs asked.

"How come you can't do that?" Tuffnut asked his sister. "I mean… I could." I had to laugh as Ruffnut pushed Tuffnut to the ground. In the end, Astrid had gotten a nearly perfect score.

Up next were Jacob and Sniper. The crowd watched on in silence as Sniper flew in fast, than caught himself on fire just as Jacob rolled off in time. Sniper suddenly swung around as his rider jumped onto his back, showing that there was more than just trust between them.

"Not our best performance," Jacob admitted breathlessly once they were finished performing. "But at least my pants didn't catch on fire this time." I only smirked when he rubbed the back of his hair in embarrassment at that last remark.

"Our turn next," I announced, looking back at Snowfire.

Snowfire and I had narrowly missed getting a winning point. She flew high in the air before I jumped off head first. Luckily she was faster and flew underneath just as I was about to hit the ground head-on. In the middle of our show she created a volley of snow flurries that surrounded the entire area. By the time we were finished everyone was gaping in awe. Snowfire fired a blast similar to Toothless' plasma blast once our routine was finished.

Even if we didn't win I was still proud. Just a year ago I would've never thought of jumping off Snowfire's back. And now I was more than happy to. I trusted Snowfire with my life. And I didn't have to win every competition. Ya win some and ya lose some.

Hiccup and Toothless than performed their freestyle event. At first they flew around the arena at top speed. Then, as they approached an oncoming sea-stack, Toothless did a somersault that vaulted them right over it.

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah baby!" Hiccup cheered victoriously as they flew back to the arena. It wasn't surprising that he had gotten a perfect score as well. Then he noticed the large wooden hoops that circled the arena.

"I hear Snotlout's gonna try a trick called the ' _Deadly Rings of Fire_ '," Tuffnut explained with a shrug. "No one's ever tried it before."

"Yeah," Ruffnut said with a sly look. "But that's because it's too dangerous."

"No! Because he made it up!" Tuffnut retorted.

"Well, either way this should be interesting to watch," I muttered as Hiccup glanced at Snotlout and Hookfang anxiously. Even if they didn't get along, he'd never want either of them getting hurt.

Snotlout didn't seem to mind what would happen though. In fact he was more confident than ever. "I'm probably gonna win just for coming up with this!" he boasted as he and Hookfang took off. "Fire!" Snotlout ordered. Hookfang aimed a fireball at the hoop and it caught fire in seconds. But the sight of the flames caused Hookfang to panic. The Monstrous Nightmare screeched in confusion and stopped in his tracks, throwing Snotlout off in the process. I couldn't help but laugh as Snotlout's butt caught on fire; he certainly suffered the Deadly Ring of Fire all of the villagers were laughing as well as Snotlout yelped in pain and tried putting the fire out.

"I get the rings and the fire part but… where's the death? I feel cheated" Tuffnut asked in confusion. His sister frowned and nodded in agreement.

The end results left Snotlout with three, and Hiccup and I with two. The last event would determine whether or not there would be a tie. As the crowd left to get ready for the next event, Hiccup strolled over to where Snotlout was standing with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Oh Snotlout, looks like your father's pretty angry right now," he scolded while looking at the stands. I didn't miss the fact that Snotlout's face paled when he looked at his father. Sure enough Spitelout did look pissed off. To the point where he was glaring daggers at his own son.

"What do you know? He always looks like that" he laughed nervously before regaining his composure. "Do you really think you have any shot at beating me?"

"As a matter of fact I do have a shot at beating you," Hiccup replied. I could only watch in concern as the two had a go at each others throats. What was it with guys and being super competitive? I understood where Hiccup got it from, but still… That didn't make it any better.

"Do not!" Snotlout snapped.

"Do too!" Hiccup shouted back.

"Do not!" Snotlout's voice rose a pitch.

"Do too! Think about it! Toothless is a Night Fury! And I'm the best rider! How can I possibly lose?" Hiccup demanded.

"Because that's what I do! I _win_ , _you_ lose!" Snotlout retorted.

"Check the scoreboard, Snotlout!" Hiccup pointed out. Snotlout just glared at him as he tried thinking of a comeback. When he couldn't think of anything else, he stormed off muttering angrily in gibberish.

"What was that all about?" Astrid asked nervously, having watched the entire confrontation.

"Just rattling cages," Hiccup replied before leaving.

"Since when do you ' _rattle cages_ '?" I whispered under my breath. I didn't want to point out that there were two people on the island with the 'Best Rider' title. Hiccup was already riled up enough, and saying that would only make things worse.

The last event of the day was a flying-and-shooting event. This was one of the best ways to train beginning riders. And it was actually a fun sport.

"The contestants are all lined up for the Fly-And-Shoot," Mulch announced. "Where they must shoot down their foes and spare their friends."

' _Easy enough_ ,' Snowfire hummed.

"The villagers are not your enemy," I reminded her with a grin. Snowfire gave me an incredulous look before shuffling her wings in annoyance.

' _Than we might have a problem_ ,' she muttered crossly. I only rolled my eyes as wooden popup dummies of Outcasts and Berkians appeared around the dock area. Even though the others hadn't scored so well, Snowfire and Toothless had gotten almost perfect scores.

"Easy, he's a friend!" I shouted when a dummy that looked like Snotlout appeared. Snowfire was tempted to fire when I veered away just in time. We maneuvered around the course with ease once it was finished. Snowfire hummed triumphantly and let out a puff of snow all over my face. "Thanks for that," I laughed.

Next up were Toothless and Hiccup. The pair flew by with just as much ease and grace to move through the course.

"Outcast bud!" Hiccup warned. Toothless immediately fired a plasma blast at the dummy, blowing it up to smithereens. Then a Berkian target popped up. "She's a friend! Easy bud!" Hiccup quickly pried Toothless away from the dummy. Just as they were ready to leave another Outcast dummy appeared. Toothless wasted no time in firing a plasma blast at it, destroying the dummy in seconds. "Thanks bud, I didn't see that one," Hiccup thanked Toothless once they landed.

"Hiccup and Toothless come through with a perfect score! Along with Alex and Snowfire!" Mulch cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

Meanwhile Hookfang and Snotlout were a bit nervous. It was easy to see that they were worried about our victories.

As Snotlout and Hookfang ran through the course everything seemed to run smoothly. But than Hookfang fired at a group of civilian dummies. That was when things started to go wrong for them. Hookfang kept firing blasts at anything that moved, including the bystanders.

"Snotlout! Get that dragon under control!" Spitelout shouted from among the crowd. I looked on just in time to see how angry Spitelout was. He clearly didn't enjoy watching his son fail miserably.

"This does not look good for the reigning Thawfestival Champion!" Mulch exclaimed as the crowds gasped in fear. The twins, though not surprising, were cheering as they watched the spectacle. I rolled my eyes at the sight.

When it was over, the most unexpected thing happened. Hookfang and Snotlout had failed the last competition. Which meant that the score was at a three-way tie.

"And for the first time in Thawfestival history, we have a _three-way_ tie!" Mulch announced in excitement. "Tomorrow, these three young Vikings will go head-to-head in an event to decide the Thawfest Champion!"

I couldn't believe it. For the first time in my life I actually had a chance at winning something. Gym class had been my least favorite subject, so of course I never got into any sports other than archery. But the happy mood didn't last long as I stood on the stage with Hiccup and Snotlout.

"I can't believe how lucky you are," Snotlout jeered through gritted teeth while trying to keep a straight face. "You don't even belong on the same stage as me."

"That's it, keep talking, Snotlout as your family's winning streak goes up in smoke," Hiccup replied with a sly grin. "Just like your Deadly Rings of Fire." Once again Snotlout was at a loss for words and stormed off, unable to take it. I watched with unease as he left, realizing just how far this was going. "Hey, what's the matter? Yak got your tongue?" Hiccup taunted as Snotlout kicked a bucket in a fit of rage.

"Hiccup," I muttered warily under my breath. This was getting out of hand.

"Oh, he's crumbling under the pressure. I can feel it." All I could do was just watch with folded arms as he suddenly had the appearance of a Jekyll and Hyde. Hiccup suddenly looked at me in confusion when he noticed the look I was giving him. "What?" was all he could ask.

"Hiccup, I get that winning is important to you," I began with a sigh. "But don't you think you're taking things a bit too far? There's an old saying in my world, and I can't believe I'm saying it: Winning isn't everything. Accept what you have, and be grateful for it."

"I'm just trying to put Snotlout in his place!" he protested. "He's always won the games and should know it's high time that someone else does!"

' _Then why will you not allow someone else to win_?' Snowfire cut in, narrowing her eyes dangerously. ' _We dragons are known for our pride, and humans as well. But humans have one thing we do not: The will to keep down that pride_.'

Hiccup stood there in shock as we turned to leave.

"I still care about you Hiccup," I suddenly called over my shoulder. "I just don't care about the way you're acting right now."

Winning wasn't everything. Snowfire was right about that. Which is why starting tomorrow I was going to out on the race. Besides, there was always next year. I still couldn't believe that I had made it as far as I had. Maybe all of those months living here had somehow given me a chance.

"I sure hope things go back to normal after this is over," I muttered as we reached my place. Snowfire simply nudged me sympathetically as I patted her on the forehead.

' _Humans are competitive by nature_ ,' she told me. I nodded in agreement before resting up for tomorrow. Whether or not I took part in the race, I did need sleep. Every part of my body was aching from today's events.

...

Darkness surrounded me once again as I wandered aimlessly through it. I held back a sigh of frustration when I realized what that meant. Yet another nightmare. It had actually been a while since I had one like this, and I had hoped that I was free of them.

I hated these nightmares. More so because they triggered memories of my father. I couldn't forget what he did to me all those years ago. Or forget that he might actually be here in this world. The thought still chilled me to the bone.

"You can't escape the truth." His words, sharp and cruel, cut through the silence like a knife. My skin turned to ice as I looked around, only to find a pair of glowing eyes glaring back at me. "You don't belong here."

"Just leave me alone already." My voice was barely a whisper. I realized all too soon that I couldn't even move my legs. They were frozen to the ground as a hand grabbed my shoulder, on the side that had a scar on it.

I held back a cry of pain at the burning sensation. The last time something like this had happened was when Savage grabbed me by the shoulder. And the moment the hand grabbed my shoulder, I woke up gasping for breath. Snowfire's eyes were wide with concern when she heard my cry.

' _Little one_!' she reacted immediately as my hand moved to my shoulder.

"It's never hurt this much before," I groaned. Carefully I pulled up the sleeve to notice that the scar was bright red, like it had just started healing again.

' _What is that_?' she sniffed my shoulder warily after getting up. Instantly she recoiled at the sight.

"A scar," was all I could say. "Given to me by dear old dad."

That nightmare had triggered more than just a memory. My fists clenched with pain at the thought of what had happened that night. Snowfire only rested her chin on my leg as she tried to comfort me. I couldn't take part in that race. Not when my shoulder was reacting this badly.

...

I was still shaken from last night's events when we reached the Academy. My shoulder was still throbbing in pain despite my best efforts to forget it. Snowfire hadn't left my side since I told her about it. Hiccup and Snotlout were already there, getting ready for the final event.

"Alex, what happened?" Hiccup hadn't missed the fact that I was holding on to my shoulder, struggling to keep on a straight face.

"It was nothing," I lied through gritted teeth. And of course he saw right through that and eyed me skeptically. "Another nightmare," I finally murmured, feeling uncomfortable once again. "I won't be able to take part in the race, not like this."

"Ha! I knew you'd chicken out!" Snotlout's jeers fell on deaf ears. Snowfire, however, heard him and let out a growl loud enough to send him running away in fear.

"Welcome to the final deciding event of this years Thawfest's Games! The Obstacle Course! Gobber, take it away," Mulch began as he stepped down. Gobber than pointed at a large map that was drawn on the Academy's wall.

"The race will start here in the Academy," he explained. "Where after the Log-Dodge, and the Cliff-Climb, Hiccup and Snotlout will get on their dragons, loop around the flagship anchored off the coast, slalom through the sea-stack maze, then head back here! The first one to pass through the finish line is the winner!"

I stayed with the rest of the Viking teens as the race was about to start. My shoulder still felt like it was on fire, but the pain wasn't as intense now. From the docks we had the best view. Astrid was the first to realize that I wasn't taking part in the race.

"Why aren't you in the race?" she asked in confusion.

"I can't really answer that honestly," I explained with a shrug. "Though I will admit, I didn't want to get caught between those two." I nodded towards Hiccup and Snotlout.

"Vikings and dragons! Take your positions!" Mulch called loudly enough for us to hear. Hookfang and Toothless were already waiting at the sea stack. The obstacle course itself was a dangerous one, and it was obvious they were both worried for their riders' safety. "On your mark, get set… Go!" At the sound of Bucket's clang, the race started.

"Out of my way!" Snotlout shoved Hiccup aside and marched right over to the obstacle course, earning glares from just about everyone but Spitelout.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath. Astrid and the other teens nodded in agreement, though they didn't dare use my harsh words.

Snotlout easily dodged the logs that were rolled down the hill by some men and managed to get a head start at the Cliff Climb. Hiccup surprisingly enough wasn't far behind. He had a bit of difficulty in avoiding the logs, but he managed to reach the rock wall. At this point Stoick had already run to the docks where Thornado was waiting. If things went bad he would be there to rescue anyone in need of it.

In the meantime, Snotlout was climbing the wall like a possessed man. I'd never seen anyone rock climbing that fast. Might as well compare him to a mountain goat. Even has boulders were hurdled down at him he refused to give up. One had even smacked him right in the face.

"Ooh! Rock in the face! Heh, I love a good rock in the face," Tuffnut said with a grin. Ruffnut smiled mischievously before bashing her brother in the face with a small boulder. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about…" Tuffnut whooped before spinning around.

' _Do not make me sit on you_ ,' Snowfire snapped as the twins started going at it. Immediately they stopped at the threat, but it was hard to resist since there was nothing better to do.

Hiccup was having a difficult time with the cliff. I know I would've failed miserably at this course. The boulders being flung by men didn't help matters. Suddenly his foot slipped and he began to fall. My heart started racing with unease when I realized all too soon what was happening.

"I can't watch!" Fishlegs gasped, while covering his eyes. Though I noticed that he was peaking through his fingers. Fortunately Hiccup's prosthetic leg saved him by catching hold on to the rock wall's surface.

Astrid and I let out a sigh of relief at the same time before exchanging looks. Within seconds Astrid narrowed her eyes before looking away. I simply rolled mine and kept an eye on the race as Snotlout reached Hookfang first.

Hiccup had gotten onto Toothless in no time, but Snotlout was still in the lead. That was all about to change when Toothless put on a burst of speed. Even Snowfire was cheering them on when they started closing in on Hookfang.

When they managed to catch up with Snotlout, things started to heat up between the two. Snotlout glared over his shoulder before pulling Hookfang on ahead, leaving Toothless and Hiccup behind in the process. I watched with interest as Hiccup suddenly opened a new tail for Toothless. Without another moment to lose Toothless had sped up, going at top speed.

"Wow, now I get what he meant last night," I murmured after watching them in awe. They were almost as fast as Snowfire now. "Looks like you've got some real competition there," I added to her.

' _We shall see about that_ ,' she grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

By now the two competitors had reached the sea stacks, where the real challenge was. With narrow gaps and spaces, the riders would have to maneuver their dragons carefully. And of course Snotlout tried blocking Hiccup, which only made things even more complicated.

Hookfang refused to budge, and as the space got narrower, Snotlout began to realize how dangerous this was. That was when Hookfang had started flying into a sea stack. Hiccup saw it too and frantically got Toothless out of the way, but in the process they would have to take another route.

"Now he has to take the long way around," Astrid said in exasperation.

"True, but after seeing that burst of speed, I don't think that will be a problem," I replied confidently. And it looked like I was right. Sure enough Toothless managed to catch up with Hookfang on record time.

Toothless and Hookfang were now neck and neck. But that was when I noticed something changed in Hiccup's expression. Suddenly he noticed the look of worry in Snotlout's eyes, and what losing would bring to the young brute.

Now, Snotlout may be an ass, but there was a reason behind his attitude. I'd learned over the past few days that his father was just as bad, if not worse. Snotlout for whatever reason felt the need to be just like his father.

"Something's wrong," Fishlegs announced as Toothless suddenly began to slow down. To my surprise and relief, Hiccup pulled out of the race. The same Hiccup that I had grown to love was back.

"Snotlout comes down on the final stretch…" Mulch said excitedly. Hookfang saw the finish line banner and set it on fire just as they were about to cross it. "And Snotlout is the winner…"

"Woo-hoo!" Spitelout cheered as the crowd had looks of disappointment on their faces. Obviously they were hoping for a change in pace.

"… of the Thawfestival Games!" Mulch finished once Spitelout was done cheering.

"Now that's a Jorgenson!" Spitelout continued cheering. Snotlout actually looked stunned.

"We did it… We did it! We _did_ it! I mean, of course we did…" Snotlout stopped himself as Hiccup and Toothless finally caught up.

"Nice flying, Snotlout," Hiccup congratulated him graciously.

"Yeah. You put up a good fight… but not good enough!" Snotlout laughed cheekily before running over to the stage with him. Stoick smiled as he came up to the two boys.

"It's been a spectacular Thawfest Games. Perhaps the best ever! These two young men have put on quite a good show. But alas, there can only be one champion," he announced as the drums began to roll. "The Thawfest dynasty continues. The winner and still champion, Snotlout!"

"We did it!" Snotlout cried to Hookfang. I smirked as he did a victory dance. Stoick smiled as he placed a medal around Snotlout's neck.

"You did your family proud," he praised before smiling warmly at Hiccup. Hiccup didn't need to be told that his father was proud of him. By now he was grinning from ear to ear, despite the loss.

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" Snotlout and Spitelout cheered as they walked away with their winnings.

"Hey, I saw what you did out there," I said with a sheepish grin. Hiccup turned and looked at me with a smirk before ruffling the back of his hair.

"Yeah, I lost, as usual," he replied with a shrug.

"No, you threw the race," I pointed out. "You let Snotlout win so that he wouldn't get in trouble with his dad."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Alex," Hiccup began stuttering nervously. "Snotlout was the better Viking."

"No, Hiccup," I replied with a smile. "No one was a better Viking today than you." Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled him in for a kiss. When we pulled away I realized that we were both blushing again.

There's an old saying that I always liked to refer to during situations like this. ' _Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you once couldn't_.' Yes, Hiccup lost. Again. But some things are more important than winning. Like being more than just a good friend.

Hiccup and I were with our dragons, watching with grins as Snotlout whooped, and his father hoisted him on his shoulders.

Even if that friend happens to be _that_ guy.

* * *

 **AN: So there's that chapter. Not much else to say. I just watched ' _When Marnie Was There_ ' by Studio Ghibli, and I have to say, it was a great movie and edition to his collection of films. I definitely recommend bringing tissues though if you plan on watching it.**

 **The Silent Fury - I love that pairing! I don't know why, I love nerds XD Wait, that came out wrong... Oo**

 **Sil - Lol it's actually Jacob, but yes, I love them too. Though they don't get nearly the amount of attention I'd like to give them... Maybe I'll have to change that in the second season :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - I used to be as well, but frankly I think their relationship was forced and a bit rushed. It should've been more awkward and slower, but that's just me.**

 **Guest - Alex is a girl.**


	25. When Lightning Strikes

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Living with dragons can have it's ups and downs. During a dangerous situation, you need to stay calm. Keep a level head.

Unfortunately for Vikings, that wasn't always easy. In their own way, they're very reasonable. But when a problem is being caused by something the Vikings don't understand, they lose all sense of reason. And that can be very dangerous.

Together Hiccup and I had come up with an ingenious idea for the dragons. Perches they could rest on around the village. There was one in my house that Spikes often used during the night. And once word got around soon everyone began to like the idea.

You see, dragons tend to rest on the roofs of people's homes. And unfortunately the wooden support beams can't really hold the extra weight. It's been causing problems where the homes would collapse, and the dragons would be at fault.

Over the next couple of days Vikings were building iron perches that could withstand the weight of a dragon. They placed the said perches throughout the village, and Astrid and Stormfly got to test them out. Stormfly squawked nervously as they approached the perches, as if she was afraid of getting hurt.

"It's okay girl," Astrid reassured her. "Take it easy." Stormfly landed gracefully on the perch, putting her entire weight on it. Everyone cheered while the twins just stared at the perch expectantly. Their hope of destruction was crushed as Stormfly took off.

"So, we built these things so that stuff wouldn't break?" Tuffnut demanded.

"I don't understand you people," Ruffnut added in disappointment.

"And they tricked us into helping them build them," Tuffnut added in an angry tone. "I feel so used… and sweaty." The two of them wandered off, dragging their hammers with them.

Later that night, Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber and I were celebrating our most recent success.

"Perches for dragons! Some of your best work," Stoick praised while smiling at us both. Then he lifted his mug and scowled in disgust. "Though we may have to move the one over the well," he added. He showed Gobber and Hiccup what was in the mug, while I politely declined before pushing my own away.

"The perches are just the beginning," Hiccup said, too excited to notice that he was about to take a sip out of his mug. Luckily Stoick noticed and stopped him just in time. "We could build landing areas for them."

"And maybe even stables in the caves around the village," I put in after remembering the blueprints in his room. "That way they don't have to sleep on the perches—" Stoick stopped us both with a chuckle.

"Easy you two," he told us. "Remember, Berk is still for people."

"Vikings before dragons," Gobber added. Toothless, who was eating a basket of fish, lifted his head and gave him a look of confusion. "Yeah, I said it. Deal with it."

That was when a rumbling sound followed from outside. It sounded like thunder, but I wasn't too sure. Out of fear, Toothless ran up the stairs. All of us looked outside just in time to see lightning strike one of the perches. Then the lightning started striking all of the others throughout the village.

"The lightning's hitting everywhere," Hiccup pointed out.

"It doesn't usually strike here," Stoick said thoughtfully.

"Thor must be angry," Gobber murmured. I looked at him skeptically before remembering once again that Vikings had multiple Gods. "The only time I remember lightning striking Berk—"

"Barnstat," both Gobber and Stoick said at the same time. Hiccup and I looked at them in confusion.

"Barn-who?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Jorgan Barnstat. A drifter sailed into town. He stole from widows and old men," Stoick explained.

"To punish him, Thor gave him a lightning bolt right to his helmet when he was fixing his mast on his ship to make an escape," Gobber added while pointing at a helmet pinned to the wall. Sure enough it had a nasty looking scorch mark on it.

"By the time Thor was finished with him, our whole fleet was on fire," Stoick continued for him.

"When we shipped him off Thor hasn't struck the island since," Gobber concluded the story.

"Threw him off the island? Pretty harsh," Hiccup said.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why Thor is so angry now," I admitted with a nod.

Lightning suddenly began hitting the homes and set them on fire. I spotted Snowfire sitting close to where lightning had struck and quickly shoved her out of the way, nearly getting struck in the process.

' _What is happening_?' she demanded as people started running away in terror.

"Are you alright?" I looked at Hiccup in surprise before nodding. Nothing was more exciting than nearly getting zapped.

"Snow, think you can put out those fires?" I asked after making sure that she was fine. Fortunately the lightning had hit the ground, leaving a nasty scorch mark on it like the helmet in Hiccup's house.

' _Of course_ ,' she retorted before taking off to help put them out.

"Gobber, organize a bucket brigade," Stoick ordered. "I'm going up to the Great Hall." The two of them ran off in different directions, Stoick headed for the Great Hall while Gobber grabbed buckets to help put out the fires.

Suddenly lightning struck nearby Toothless and it freaked him out. He let out a roar of terror and tried running from it.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled as lightning continued striking near his best dragon friend.

Snowfire landed next to me once she had put out a considerable number of fires. The lightning wasn't helping much as more buildings caught on fire. By now Gobber had managed to form a team of men to put the flames out in the village.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," I reassured Hiccup as we started looking for the Night Fury. For a dragon who couldn't fly, Toothless was still fast on his feet. The lightning had really scared him, and understandably so.

It didn't take me long to find the other teens as they were admiring the destruction caused by the lightning storm.

"Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about," Tuffnut said as another bolt of lightning hit the island.

"I've always liked Thor," Ruffnut added with a smile. I always did too, but preferably the one from the Marvel comics. This was just plain nuts.

"Ah, I love these storms!" Snotlout exclaimed as Hookfang landed with Fishlegs and Meatlug. "When it rains, I cancel bath night and stand outside with nothing but a sponge and a bar of soap."

"We know, the village has had meetings about it," Fishlegs said with a roll of his eyes.

"That's more information than I needed to know," I muttered crossly. Snotlout just smirked mischievously before leaning close with a raised eyebrow.

"What, you like what you see?" he asked. Faster than he could say those words I smacked him upright in the nose. Snotlout held back a cry of surprise as the others snickered at him. That was when Hiccup approached us, gasping for breath just as Astrid arrived on Stormfly.

"I-I need your help, I need to find Toothless!" he said, looking more than just worried.

"I just saw him run by the Great Hall," Astrid replied in a helpful tone. I nodded to her before getting into Snowfire's saddle, helping Hiccup up in the process.

Astrid led the way on Stormfly, and sure enough we reached the Great Hall in no time. Stoick was on the steps, helping the Vikings get to safety while he carried two injured villagers on his shoulders. Once he reached the top he gently put them down.

"Don't worry men, you're going to be alright," he reassured them.

"It's striking throughout the entire village! It's like we're under siege!" exclaimed Mulch.

"I've never seen Thor this angry," Bucket put in.

Stormfly and Snowfire landed near the steps down below. Sure enough Toothless was sitting on a perch in front of the Great Hall. Toothless than flew off just as lightning was about to hit the perch he was resting on.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried.

' _The lightning was about to hit the perch_ ,' Snowfire told us as the Vikings gathered outside to watch.

"Did you all see that?" Oh great, my least favorite Viking in the world, Mildew. Lightning continued striking Toothless as he jumped from perch to perch, trying to get away. It was obvious the poor guy was terrified, but it seemed like the lightning wouldn't leave him alone.

"Look, the lightning is following him," Mulch told everyone. Toothless leaped over to Hiccup as he jumped off of Snowfire's back.

"Toothless," Hiccup gasped as he laid his arm over Toothless' head.

"Don't you all understand? Thor is mad at all of us and I'll tell you why," Mildew began as he got everyone's attention. "Because of him!" I was really tempted to knock the moron out as he pointed his staff at Toothless and Hiccup. "As you all know; the Night Fury is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself! We let him live among us and now we pay the price!"

' _That is just a silly human rumor_ ,' Snowfire snapped.

"Well, it did seem like the lightning struck the dragon," Mulch replied hesitantly.

"Yes! Right at the dragon! A lightning storm of which we've never seen," Mildew ranted on. And unfortunately the villagers were nodding in agreement. "There is but one thing to do… Banish the Night Fury! It's the only way. Thor is angry at us because of the Night Fury. You all saw it!"

"What? No, That's ridiculous," Hiccup protested

"Yeah, Toothless has been around for over a year now and none of this happened," I pointed out, still feeling miffed with Mildew.

"If we don't act now… Well, need I remind you of Barnstat?" Mildew rambled on, ignoring us. The other Vikings looked at one another as if debating his words.

"You're right, all of you," Stoick suddenly said, pushing his way through the crowd. "Thor is angry, but I don't believe he's angry with Toothless."

"That's right! Have you all forgotten what Toothless has done for the village?" Hiccup asked in a hopeful voice.

"Yeah, he's the one who helped take down the Red Death," I put in. "Not to mention he helped stop the war against dragons."

"Well than, what do you suppose Thor's angry at?" Mildew asked. He was clearly annoyed with the fact that most people were standing up to Toothless. The Night Fury in question crooned and rubbed the back of Hiccup's hands as an uncomfortable silence fell over them.

"I don't presume you know what goes on in Thor's mind, Mildew," Stoick replied. "But we will find a way to soothe his anger."

"For all we know Thor might have woken up on the wrong side of the bed," Hiccup pointed out. "Even Gods have their bad days."

I rubbed the back of Snowfire's neck as a thought just occurred to me. The Vikings would never believe me, but I did know the reason behind all of this lightning. Metal attracted lightning and conducted it. Something I learned in science class but never really bothered looking into.

Maybe Hiccup would be a little more willing to listen. Though now probably wasn't the best time to tell him.

"Well, for all our sakes you better be right," Mildew grumbled before walking away.

"You sure he's alright?" I asked once the crowd dispersed. Toothless still looked a bit shaken after tonight's events. His eyes weren't as wide as they had been before, but that didn't mean he wouldn't run off when the lightning struck again.

"I don't see any obvious signs of injury," Hiccup replied after double checking.

"We'll find a way to stop the lightning," I murmured reassuringly. Hopefully there would be a way to show that it was the metal attracting the lightning. Otherwise Toothless might be in more trouble from the villagers than the lightning itself.

...

' _These storms are becoming more annoying than anything else_ ,' Snowfire mumbled as she looked longingly at the darkened sky.

"Yeah, I could barely get out of my house last night without running from the lightning," Fishlegs said in agreement.

It was early in the morning and the clouds were still surrounding Berk. But luckily the lightning didn't seem to strike anywhere near the village. Which led me to my next problem: How was I supposed to convince them that metal attracted lightning?

Last night I had watched the perches and realized they were what attracted it all. The perches were like a lightning rod, and the taller they were the worst it got.

Meanwhile Hiccup had gathered all of his friends to see if they could come up with a solution to their problem. I knew that Hiccup was worried about Toothless, and understandably so. Mildew's statement had riled up the entire village.

"Another storm is coming," Hiccup muttered. "And we need to figure out a way to calm him down without sending Toothless away."

"Thor tore a hole in the Great Hall. Maybe he's hungry," Tuffnut suggested nonchalantly.

"In my world the history books talked about old tribes performing ritual sacrifices to appease the Gods," I murmured to no one in particular. No need to get into detail with those gruesome stories. Some tribes even ate the human sacrifices because they believed it would give them strength. I shuddered at the idea.

"Well, you're right about making Thor happy," Hiccup said after giving me a weird look. "But what do you give the God of Thunder and Lightning?"

"What ever happened to lightning conducting—" I cut Jacob off with a glare. There was no need to bring in something they obviously didn't understand, yet. Besides, it was fun watching them figure it out for themselves.

"Let's sacrifice Tuffnut!" Ruffnut said excitedly after Fishlegs had explained my theory about sacrifice rituals.

Tuffnut didn't seem to hear her as he looked away.

"Okay," he finally said after a moment of silence. "What time should I be there? There better be fire involved."

"No! No one is getting sacrificed," Hiccup groaned after facepalming at Tuffnut's response.

"Not yet anyway," Snotlout shrugged.

"I had an aunt who was cursed by Odin once," Astrid said. "She had to pay tribute to him by sailing to the edge of the Earth."

"Did it work?" Fishlegs asked hopefully. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I don't know," Astrid replied with a shrug. "I guess she couldn't find it because she kept showing up in the wrong direction."

"You know, if Thor's gonna be mad at anyone, it should be Alex," Snotlout suddenly announced. To which we all looked at him in disbelief. "Hey, all I'm sayin' is she brought a White Terror and isn't even from here."

"Wouldn't he be angry with me too if that were the case?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.

Snotlout looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Fortunately Snowfire chose that moment to whack her tail across his face. He scowled in annoyance and grumbled something under his breath.

"The Gods have never been angry at anyone in my family," Fishlegs boasted. "Knock on wood," he suddenly added while knocking on the wooden steps of the building we were standing next to. "Hop on one foot," he added with a hop, "slap a Jorgenson."

Fishlegs held out a hand and got ready to slap Snotlout when instead he just poked the brawnier kid, giggling like a little kid just got caught stealing candy. Snotlout just glared at him and shoved him to the ground.

"Well, if I were Thor, I'd build a statue of myself," Snotlout proclaimed after climbing onto Hookfang's head and had the Nightmare lift him in the air. "Of myself, Snotlout, as Thor!" Snotlout flexed his muscles while grinning like an idiot.

"You _do_ realize we're trying to make Thor happy, right?" Astrid asked after shaking off her disgust.

"Exactly!" God, even I felt like I was going to be sick when Snotlout kissed his muscles. Astrid made a gurgling sound before turning around and covering her mouth.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth," she groaned.

"Actually that's not a bad idea," Hiccup suddenly said.

"It's not an idea, it's a reflex," I muttered after giving her a sympathetic look.

"What? No! I-I mean the statue!" Hiccup said. "And not a statue of Snotlout," he added when he noticed our pale faces. Snotlout only glared at him when he said that. "Of Thor."

"Hm… Berk has never had a statue for Thor," Fishlegs replied thoughtfully.

"Well than it's high time we build one," Hiccup concluded.

"Wait, are you making this statue out of iron?" I suddenly asked.

"Yeah, why?" I just shrugged before rushing off to help the others. Maybe this would help explain my theory. All I needed to do was put a piece of wood in the statue and see if that would attract the lightning.

We spent the rest of the day working on the statue. After gathering as much iron as we could it was welded into different parts that would eventually connect into one giant statue. The dragons did their best by helping out. Snowfire had managed to melt and cool down the medal long enough to get it in the perfect shape.

It was well into the afternoon by the time we were all almost finished. Fishlegs was the one working on the pants. Hiccup stopped by to see how much work we'd gotten done over the last few hours. The head was probably the hardest part, seeing as it was a round object.

"Toothless isn't going anywhere," I reassured him.

"I sure hope you're right," Hiccup murmured as another lightning storm approached. "Okay guys, we better start welding these parts together!" he called.

Once the pieces were welded together, the statue was placed on a wooden platform and covered up in a bunch of rags woven together. The reveal would hopefully keep the Berkians busy while I tried to figure out a way to prove it was the medal attracting lightning. And sure enough everyone had gathered to see the revealing.

"Attention! Attention!" Hiccup stood on the platform in front of the statue, gaining everyone's curious attention. "Okay, so I know we aren't exactly Thor's favorite people right now. But I'm confident that this beautiful statue will go a long way toward getting us on his good grace." The villagers nodded in agreement as he paused. "And now, without further ado…."

Hiccup and Toothless pulled down the rags to reveal the large statue we had all worked on. Snowfire narrowed her eyes at the sight and huffed in annoyance.

' _Why not build a statue of a dragon_?' she asked.

"Because dragons would be a lot harder to build," I replied while patting her on the head.

"Well done," Stoick praised in amazement. "Thor will appreciate this tribute and smile upon us again." Everyone cheered in agreement and walked away. Everyone that was except for Mildew.

"Do you really think this statue is enough to appease Thor?" Mildew sneered. "He won't be appeased, not while you still allow that Night Fury to live among us! You're fools! All of you!"

' _I would watch your tongue, human_ ,' Snowfire snapped. Mildew flinched immediately at her harsh words before we walked away. Getting caught up in a fight wasn't going to get us anywhere.

...

Jacob and I were back at my place that night, working on a way to prove to them that it wasn't Toothless Thor or whoever was angry with. Fortunately he was more than sympathetic towards Hiccup's cause, especially since he'd seen just how friendly and caring Toothless was.

"Metal attracts lightning, why can't they get that through their heads?" Jacob grumbled as he tossed aside a parchment of paper. As if to prove our point when no one was watching, a spark of lightning erupted from the metal perch in front of my house.

 _'Why would lightning be attracted to this_?' Snowfire sniffed the metal curiously once the dangers had passed.

"That's something the science teacher never went over," I sighed in frustration. "Technically it's not actually attracted to the metal. But for some reason the metal can somehow block the electricity or alter it's course."

"You know Mildew's just trying to rile everyone up again," Jacob pointed out. "He wants you off the island, and the dragons for some reason."

"We both know why he wants me off the island," I muttered under my breath.

Snowfire suddenly lifted her head and let out a warning growl when a knock on the door sounded. Jacob and I exchanged looks of surprise before Toothless suddenly rammed it open, than he hid himself in the corner nearby.

"Sorry, about that," Hiccup gasped after helping me up.

"What's going on?" I asked when I realized something was wrong. Sure enough I could hear the angry shout of villagers as they carried pitchforks and torches. And the lightning didn't seem to end despite the statue we built earlier.

"I needed a place to hide Toothless," Hiccup explained once I closed the door.

"Not the best ideas," Jacob muttered crossly. "Don't you think this is the first place the villagers would look for him?"

I couldn't hide the fact that Jacob had a good point there. Pity suddenly washed over me when I saw Toothless look at Snowfire fearfully after she greeted him. The two of them had always been close, and seeing them like this only reminded me of that.

' _Just let them try and pass me_ ,' Snowfire hissed with outrage. ' _These humans are too gullible for their own good_!'

"What does she mean by that?" Hiccup asked while giving me a skeptical look.

"She means that… I don't think it's Toothless attracting the lightning," I explained with a look at Toothless. "I think it has something to do with all of the metal on the island." Hiccup just folded his arms and looked at me thoughtfully this time as I continued, "think about it… none of this started until after we put those perches around the village, which are made of _metal_. And the lightning is only getting worse, because that statue is made of _metal_."

"Exactly what I've been trying to say," Jacob said, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"You know, that actually makes sense." He studied the tail that he made for Toothless before his eyes lit up with realization. "Lightning is attracted to metal… That would explain why the lightning was attracted to Toothless!"

"Do you think the villagers would believe that?" I asked warily. Something told me they weren't in a hurry to listen to such a story. Especially if it meant disproving their belief in Thor's anger. Hiccup was ready to answer when even he showed signs of doubt.

"I need to get Toothless off the island," he suddenly murmured. "He won't be safe until than."

"You're going with him?" I couldn't imagine Toothless making it on his own. Such a journey could kill him. Especially with these storms all over the island threatening the village.

"I'm not going to let him do this alone," Hiccup said in a determined voice. "I'll be back… When they realize that Toothless isn't the reason behind these storms."

"You'll be safe on Snowfire's island." My heart sank at the thought of having to watch him leave. Snowfire just gave a small nod of agreement when I looked at her questioningly. Hiccup gave me a kiss before returning to Toothless' side.

"I promise I'll be back," he added just as the sound of an angry mob followed. I watched helplessly while fighting back the urge to throw Mildew into the ocean. Or better yet use him as a lightning rod.

At that moment the angry mob reached the house, pounding away at the door. "I'll hold them off as long as I can," I promised. "Just make sure you get out safely." Hiccup nodded after climbing into Toothless' saddle. Once they were gone I opened the door to find the angry mob glaring at me.

"Where is he?" The voice of Mildew made me suddenly regret opening the door. Soon enough he shoved his way through the crowd until he was glaring down at me. "Where's that boy? And more importantly where's his dragon?" he demanded.

"I don't know, Mildew," I replied in a bitter voice. "But you got your wish. Hiccup and Toothless are gone."

"Oh, bah! Find that Night Fury, all of you!" Mildew snapped.

"What an ass," Jacob snapped once they were gone. I only nodded in agreement.

"One of these days…" I stopped myself from throwing a volley of swears at the old bastard. Mildew was already off rallying more villagers to join in the search.

"Alex!" Astrid's voice cut through the silence as she ran over to where the mob had once been. "Where's Hiccup and Toothless?"

"Gone," I replied, trying to keep my voice from faltering. Astrid's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the mob searching through the woods. "They left in the hopes of proving Mildew wrong."

"I can't believe Mildew would go this far," Astrid muttered. Snowfire had chosen that moment to join us, and was watching us both carefully. I was about to say something when I stopped myself just in time. "There has to be a way to stop them."

"Really? You really can't believe he would go this far after what he's already done?" Jacob asked in disbelief. Astrid gave him a strange look, one I've seen many times when she was ready to slug someone in the shoulder.

Before she could say anything else, the sound of the angry mob could be heard from the docks. My eyes widened in horror when I spotted Toothless in the distance being dragged away on a cart, covered in chains.

' _I will rip them all to shreds_!' Snowfire suddenly roared in fury at the sight.

"No, don't!" I stopped her before she took off in a fit of rage. If it was anyone else I would have let her destroy them. But these people were part of Berk, whether they wanted to show it or not. "If anyone is going to prove them wrong, it's Hiccup."

Snowfire just glared at me before we headed to the forge. Astrid only looked at us in confusion, but to my surprise she followed. And sure enough there he was, holding on to a metal spear.

"Hiccup!" My heart nearly skipped a beat when I saw what he was holding on to.

"They've got Toothless, and they're about to float him out to sea!" Astrid cried.

"I know," Hiccup replied with a grim expression. "Why do you think I have this?" He held up the spear in question.

"Ooh, tough one. How many questions do we get, five?" Tuffnut asked.

"Oh God." I couldn't help but smirk when Hiccup and I said that at the same time. Then he grabbed my arm, "Alex, fly me to the docks."

...

Snowfire flew high above the docks, avoiding the lightning strikes until she swooped past and knocked aside the angry mob. Hiccup was still holding on to his spear while Snowfire circled the docks. Once she landed he jumped off.

"Stop!" he shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear. "You could get rid of Toothless. You could throw him off the edge of the world, but it's not going to stop the lightning from destroying Berk." The Vikings looked at Hiccup skeptically before whispering amongst themselves.

"It's the metal," he went on and raised the spear. "The lightning is hitting the metal. Just think about it. We've never had lightning storms like these until we put up those perches. That statue, right? And they're all made of metal."

"Oh, bah!" Mildew sneered while smacking away the spear with his staff. "Have you ever heard anything so insane?"

Agreements rang throughout the crowd, and by now I was seething with anger while Hiccup ran over to Toothless and lifted his tail after giving me the spear. "Y-You see? This is where the lightning struck Toothless. On this connecting rod… this metal connecting rod!"

I desperately wanted to shout that he was telling them the truth. But I kept my mouth shut, realizing I'd probably just swear up a storm and end up in the same fate as Toothless. And of course still they didn't believe him, despite the obvious proof.

"Look, if you don't believe me, I'll prove it!" He quickly ran up to me after I handed back the spear before climbing on to Snowfire's saddle. "Fly me up."

"Hiccup, are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked as we flew up to the mast of the ship. "You do realize what happens when lightning hits you, right?" I already had a hunch I knew what he was up to.

" _Sure_ …? Uh, that's a strong word. It's really more of a hunch," he replied before jumping onto the mast. My eyes narrowed skeptically. "I'll be fine," he reassured me. "Go!"

' _He will be fine_ ,' Snowfire hummed as she flew down from the mast. I looked up uneasily as both Gobber and Stoick tried convincing Hiccup to stop this madness. ' _A stubborn hatchling indeed._ '

"You'll see for yourselves," Hiccup said as he lifted the spear. "When I attach this spear to the top of the mast, the lightning will be drawn to—" He never got to finish his sentence. A stray bolt of lightning had suddenly surged towards him as he had the spear lifted high in the air.

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled as my eyes widened in horror.

Hiccup had lost consciousness, and was falling towards the water down below. Snowfire was about to lung for him when Toothless broke free from his restraints and jumped into the ocean after his rider.

My heart was racing with worry as everyone looked over the ledge to watch for signs of life. Time seemed to slow down as Toothless finally emerged from the water with Hiccup clamped gently in his mouth. Carefully Toothless dragged him over to the docks and crooned in concern.

"Hiccup," I gasped when I realized too late what had happened. I should have warned him that something like this might happen.

"Son…" Stoick rasped as he held Hiccup in his arms.

...

The next day found myself waiting at Hiccup's house. After taking him to Gothi she had reassured us that he would live. The lightning hadn't struck him in the heart, otherwise the wound could have been fatal.

Finally, after sitting there for a few awkward minutes alone with Stoick, Gobber had said that he was awake. I let out a sigh of relief as I followed them up the stairs to see Toothless running over to greet me.

"It's good to see you too," I laughed as the Night Fury gave me an affectionate lick.

"My boy," Stoick said as he lifted Hiccup off his feet. "You took a lightning bolt to the head," he explained before setting his son down and patting him gently on the back.

"Just like Barnstat! Except we won't be throwing you off the island," Gobber put in.

Neither men could continue as I rushed over and gave Hiccup a hug. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I muttered after pulling apart. "You should've warned me what you were going to do," I added in an accusing tone.

"Yeah, but than you might've stopped me," he replied with a sheepish grin. "So everyone knows that Thor isn't angry with Toothless?" he asked when Stoick let out an uncomfortable cough.

"They do now," he replied.

"Until we figure out why Thor is angry at metal," Gobber added, "we'll all be walking on eggshells."

Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks before shrugging. Vikings were still Vikings, and it didn't look like they were going to believe my theory any time soon. We walked down the stairs and outside to see the statue and perches were being taken down.

"Oh, we worked so hard on the statue," Hiccup sighed. "Kind of a shame we have to just scrap it for parts." Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and looked down at him.

"Well, maybe we don't have to. Why don't you take it to one of the highest points on the island and leave it there?" he suggested.

"Good idea, chief!" Tuffnut's voice cut in as he and Snotlout approached us. "Huh, would've thought of it myself, but I'm not the chief."

"Oh, we'll handle it for you," Snotlout promised.

Snotlout took off with Hookfang, the twins and Barf and Belch to lift the statue. Snowfire flew alongside Toothless to keep an eye on their work. And I wasn't surprised to see them drop the statue right in front of Mildew's house.

Mildew walked out just in time to see the statue right in front of him. I tried not to smirk as we flew away, hearing him faintly shout that we'd pay for this.

"Um, I'm not sure that's what my dad had in mind," Hiccup muttered.

"Hey, that's the way I understood it," Snotlout replied with a cheeky smile.

' _For once, I agree with him_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as we flew on. I couldn't help but grin and pat her on the neck.

For the rest of the day Vikings had arrived at Hiccup's house offering baskets of gifts that consisted of bread and smoked fish for Toothless. One family had stopped by, and their little girl offered Toothless a fish and patted him on the nose.

Vikings may be impossible to convince, but when they're proven wrong, they tend to go a little overboard. Hopefully they've learned their lesson and won't jump to conclusions next time.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was fun to rewrite :) And we're getting closer to the second part of the series, where things get really interesting between Alex and Hiccup :P**

 **The Silent Fury - Lol, It is funny, isn't it? I might do something like that, it just isn't in the first season or anything. For now I'm mostly rewriting the first season best I can before posting the second season, which I'm not even halfway through yet.**

 **Sil - Thanks! Yep, Jacob did try his best, considering it was his first competition on a dragon :)**


	26. What Flies Beneath

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Everyone has a past. Even dragons can have a past. And sometimes that past comes back to haunt them. Unfortunately I was prone to having nightmares of my past. But recently my nightmares have been getting a bit more… dangerous.

I don't even know how to describe them. All I knew is every night so far I've woken up gasping for breath. Three times already Snowfire had been more than concerned and tried waking me up. I knew she meant well, but it did get annoying after a while.

The last dream had been my most bizarre yet. It started out as my usual nightmare, but than the ground had started shaking. I woke up eventually to find that the ground actually _was_ shaking. I couldn't tell whether or not it was an actual earthquake. But something told me I wasn't the only one to notice it.

Once I was dressed and ready I walked outside to see a gaping hole in the middle of the plaza. Everyone else was gathered around it, either staring in horror or in awe. I spotted Hiccup and Toothless leaning over the hole curiously.

"What the heck made this?" I asked as Snowfire easily leaped over it to their side. Her movement had caused some of the villagers to jump in surprise, all the while she was humming in amusement at their reactions.

"I'm not sure," Hiccup replied in an uneasy voice. Just as he said that, Toothless suddenly leaned back and let out a roar. "Whoa, whoa, easy bud! It's just a hole," Hiccup tried calming Toothless down as the Night Fury glared at it.

"It's not just a hole, it's like an underground village!" Bucket's voice echoed from down the hole. We all looked down in time to see him inside, running around like a kid at the candy shop. Only a guy with a bucket on his head would be excited about this. "Sorry Mulch… But I think I finally found it… My happy place!" Bucket stopped short when dirt and soil started flinging him out of the hole. He landed on the ground and looked around in shock.

"Are you alright, Bucket?" Stoick asked.

"I'm not so sure anymore," Bucket replied after getting up.

"What happened?"

"Something pushed me out," Bucket said fearfully. "Something's down there. Something big."

Toothless peered down the hole again and bared his teeth in defiance. I looked over just in time to watch him leap into the hole. That was when we all started hearing a strange whispering sound. It was the kind of noise that made the hair along my arms stand on end.

"Uh, is anyone else hearing that?" I asked warily. It definitely wasn't Snowfire. In fact her eyes were narrowed as she looked down at the tunnels.

"Whatever it is, it's giving me the willies," Gobber replied in a nervous voice.

Suddenly a giant green-spiked dragon erupted from the hole underneath us. My eyes widened in horror when I recognized it. The same dragon Alvin had kept on his island. It had an eel-like body and a large head, with a mouth full of teeth perfect for gnawing through rock.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!" Snotlout gasped in an awed voice.

"Do I have to?" Fishlegs asked.

"Now that's a dragon," Jacob added in amazement.

"Dragons, now!" Astrid yelled.

I didn't need to be told twice to get on Snowfire. That thing was almost as big as her. With the ego and guts to attack anything that stood in it's way. The dragon turned it's large head towards us, and a shiver ran through me when I saw it's eyes.

More like lack of eyes. It was blind, just like the one Alvin had.

"Uh, I don't like the way it's eyeballing me," Snotlout said nervously.

"Don't worry, it's not just you," Fishlegs replied.

"Thanks, a big relief!" Snotlout muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Just as Snotlout said that, the dragon burrowed it's way into the ground again and disappeared.

"What was that?" Astrid asked.

"Whatever it was, I want one!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was a Whispering Death," Fishlegs replied.

"Whoa, great name," Tuffnut said in awe. "Much better than the Hideous Zippleback."

"Where'd it go? Why's it here? What's it going to do with us? Why aren't you slapping me to snap me out of this?" Bucket rambled on as he fell into a wheel barrel.

"Because I'm scared too, Bucket," Mulch replied as he too hid in a barrel.

Then the Whispering Death erupted from the ground once more, sending a spray of dirt all over. Another hole was created where it tore through the ground, and it turned to glare at us all.

"Ah, it looks angry," Gobber began in a nervous tone. "Alex, why don't you try seeing if you can bond with that thing, calm it down."

I bit the bottom of my lip as the dragon turned towards my direction. Snowfire's wings were flared in a defensive position as she snarled at it. The air around us had suddenly gotten colder, and I realized too late that she was controlling it.

"Easy, I don't think that's going to work," I whispered. Gobber didn't seem to notice the double meaning in my words.

"Okay, uh, Fishlegs, what do we know about the Whispering Death?" Hiccup asked after noticing my uneasiness.

"Boulder Class, razor sharp teeth, incredibly strong, hunts from underground," Fishlegs replied. There was nothing more reassuring than listening to a walking encyclopedia.

"Now I really want one!" Tuffnut said in excitement.

"Good luck with that," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"So how do we deal with this thing?" Snotlout demanded.

"Stand back, everyone!" Stoick suddenly shouted. We all looked up in time to see Thornado flying above us. "Thornado's got something to say to this beast!"

Thornado fired a sonic blast at the Whispering Death. But it didn't even seem scathed. In fact, the attack only made it angrier.

"I don't think it's got it's listenin' ears on," Gobber yelled.

"We need to get that thing away from the village," I said as the Whispering Death roared in defiance.

' _That creature is repulsive_!' Snowfire hissed in annoyance. I couldn't help but nod in agreement. The Whispering Death was one of the few dragons that had nearly killed me during my time on Outcast Island. There was a reason I didn't like that thing.

We took off to join Stoick and Thornado, but it seemed like Toothless had other ideas as he suddenly appeared from the tunnel. He let out a warning growl to the other dragons, gesturing his head towards the Whispering Death.

"What did he say?" I couldn't help but ask.

' _This is his fight, and his fight alone_ ,' Snowfire replied, sounding more worried than before.

The Whispering Death's spikes stood on end when it suddenly looked in Toothless' direction. For a dragon that was blind it seemed to know exactly where Toothless was by picking up his scent.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried when the Whispering Death lunged at him.

But Toothless had faster reflexes, and caught the dragon by it's tail before dragging it to the ground. The Whispering Death flew back in the air and hovered for a few seconds. Toothless fired three plasma blasts at which the Whispering Death was able to dodge. Toothless was about to take off when he realized that he couldn't fly. My heart was racing with unease when the Whispering Death flew higher, seeing this as a competition.

"Toothless can't fly without me. He's a sitting duck," Hiccup murmured while watching the scene unfold.

"And I have no doubt that dragon would like the taste of that," I added in a grim voice. Stoick landed on the ground and ran over to Gobber.

"Gobber, man the catapults, and when that thing is clear of Toothless, fire!" he ordered after getting off of Thornado.

' _Humans cannot interfere with this fight_ ,' Snowfire snapped. Despite the anger in her voice, I could also hear the worry.

"Dad, wait!" Hiccup said as he ran over to Toothless' side. "Just let me help you, bud." But Toothless only shoved him over, knocking him down in the process. "What? Toothless, what's… What's wrong?"

Toothless' only response was doing a double-take with a growl at the Whispering Death before he took off after it again. It was a warning growl. Toothless was warning us to stay out of his way. Now I understood what was happening.

"What was that about?" Astrid asked as I helped Hiccup back on his feet.

"I have no idea," was all he could say before the Whispering Death let out a roar of fury. He swung his spine-like tail, with the spikes sticking out just like a Nadder's would. To my surprise and horror, the spikes had smacked right into Toothless' back leg.

"Gobber!" Stoick yelled.

Gobber launched a boulder from the catapult, hitting the Whispering Death square in the head. The dragon recoiled in response and growled at the catapult in question. Gobber fired another boulder, hitting the dragon once again in the face. Then suddenly the Whispering Death retreating down into the hole just as the sunlight fell on it, carving a new path underground.

Hiccup ran over to Toothless' side while I checked for signs of injury. After that attack it was obvious the Whispering Death had a score to settle with Toothless.

"Ah man, you're hurt," Hiccup sighed after noticing the spike on Toothless' back leg. Toothless growled in response, but his gaze softened when he looked at Hiccup as his rider pulled the spike out. I watched with worry as Toothless ran away the moment the spike was out, right past the Great Hall and straight towards the direction of the Whispering Death. "Toothless, wait!"

"Easy, something tells me there's more to this than we realize." I put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder as he watched Toothless disappear.

"Where's he going?" Astrid asked out of curiosity.

"Probably running away to lick his wounds," Snotlout said in a mocking tone before laughing.

"It's not funny," Hiccup muttered. "He could have been hurt. He can't fly, remember?"

"And who's fault is that?" Snotlout retorted.

"You seriously did not just go there," I snapped, glaring at him.

"I calls 'em as I sees 'em." Before Snotlout could get another word in I shoved him aside. The glare that followed was priceless.

"Uh, does anybody else wanna talk about what just happened back there?" Fishlegs asked.

"Uh, dragon fight?" Tuffnut said with a shrug. "Just another day on Berk."

"No, it was more than that," Jacob murmured thoughtfully. "It almost seemed like they knew each other." Fishlegs nodded in agreement.

"It seems like there was way more to it than that."

"He's right. The Whispering Death singled out Toothless," Hiccup put in.

"Not to mention Snowfire said this wasn't a fight humans should be involved in," I added. "Think about it, he didn't even let you help him in the fight." The others looked at me skeptically, but Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"Okay, but why didn't he?" he asked.

' _Dragons will fight to the death if it involves a grudge_ ,' Snowfire chimed in as she sat behind me.

"Wait, are we gonna be tested on this?" Tuffnut suddenly asked in confusion. "Because I am completely confused."

"Hey, don't look at me," Ruffnut said defensively. Toothless was still looking off in the Whispering Death's direction. I suddenly had a feeling that this wasn't the last we saw of that dragon.

...

Later that night I was patching up the wound on Toothless' leg, using the same remedy used on his tail. So far he hadn't lightened up since the Whispering Death incident.

"Thanks again," Hiccup sighed once I was finished. "I really wish he could tell me what happened out there today."

"The only known dragons capable of that are White Terrors," I pointed out. Snowfire had been more than reluctant to stay outside. I tried not to laugh when Stoick remained firm on his 'one dragon rule'.

The sound of footsteps signaled someone coming upstairs. Toothless only jumped at the sound and let out a low growl. I'd never seen him so tense before. I wish Toothless would calm down, at least enough to let his wounds heal.

"Whoa, easy bud," Hiccup tried reassuring his best friend. "It's just my dad."

"How's our wounded warrior?" Stoick asked.

"Just a simple flesh wound," I replied after giving the bandages a final look. "He'll recover quickly. I've seen reptiles lose limbs and survive to tell the tale."

That much was true. Despite the panic of when I first woke up in this world, I still remembered a few things from it. Reptiles were incredible creatures just for the fact that they could survive so many life-threatening events.

"But he's still on edge," Hiccup added worriedly.

"Don't worry Toothless," Stoick reassured him. "I think we showed that dragon a thing or two of what Berk's capable of. I don't think he'll be coming back any time soon. At least I hope not."

"Yeah, me too," I murmured anxiously.

I remembered what Snowfire had said about dragons holding grudges. If what she said was true, than this was just the beginning.

"Toothless should be fine as long as he doesn't do anything that could open up his wound again," I added after rubbing his neck affectionately. Toothless only crooned before glaring out of the window again. "I think we both need rest after today."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Hiccup sighed in agreement. "It's a good thing you know about those herbs."

"Thank my mom," I replied with a sheepish grin before kissing him goodnight. "She's the one who taught me."

There were a lot of things that my mom had taught me. And I still missed her.

I shook the thought aside, knowing full well there was something much bigger out there to worry about. And that something had to do with the grudge Toothless was holding against the Whispering Death.

...

"Toothless is missing," Hiccup sighed as he leaned against the wall. All of us were gathered in the arena as he explained what had happened last night. "I'm willing to bet that he went after the Whispering Death."

"Maybe Toothless just went for a morning flight… Oh that's right, he can't!" This time both Astrid and I were glaring at the obnoxious Jorgenson boy.

"Seriously?" Astrid demanded and walked towards him before getting ready to throw a well deserved punch. "You're going there again? Now?" Hiccup stopped her and looked at us.

"We have to find the Whispering Death," he snapped. "If we find that, we'll find Toothless."

"What do we do if we find the Whispering Death?" Fishlegs asked fearfully.

"Can you bond with it?" Hiccup turned and looked at me hopefully, but I only shook my head.

"Alvin already tried it out on me," I explained warily. "Believe me when I say that it's not possible." I didn't miss the look of anger flashing in his eyes at the mention of Alvin. What happened on Outcast island wasn't something either of us would forget anytime soon.

"Is there anything in the Book of Dragons that can help us?" Hiccup asked after taking a deep breath.

Fishlegs opened the book and started scanning the pages again. I'm surprised he hasn't memorized it yet. I've seen him reading the thing more than a dozen times at the Great Hall.

"It can shoot razor sharp spines from any part of it's body," he read out loud.

"And how's that supposed to help?" Astrid asked.

"Well it would help if we stayed far, far away from it," Fishlegs replied.

"Or we can go near him and use Ruffnut as a human shield," Tuffnut suggested. Ruffnut kicked him in the kneecap for that comment. "Owe, my kneecap! That's new…. I like it."

"This dragon has to have a weakness," Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"Actually no," Fishlegs corrected him. "The book says 'No known weaknesses'."

"Heh, I really love this thing," Tuffnut said with a smirk.

"The book said no _known_ weaknesses, right?" I asked after giving it some thought. "The dragon's blind; which means that maybe there's something to with light in there. I'm sure that he spends most of his time underground."

' _Even a dragon has their weaknesses_ ,' Snowfire pointed out to no one in particular. And of course she would never admit hers. Though I had a feeling it had to do with her pride.

"If anyone could find it's weakness, I'm sure we could," Jacob put in helpfully. I only smirked in agreement.

"Can we go now?" Hiccup asked after climbing into Snowfire's saddle. "We don't know how much time we have." Snowfire simply rolled her eyes before helping me up.

"Don't worry," I reassured him. "We'll find Toothless."

With that being said, we took off in search of the Whispering Death. It wasn't hard to miss the trails that it left. A rocky snake-like line was left on the Earth for all to see where the Whispering Death went. And that ridged line led towards the forest.

Hiccup was still hopeful that the Whispering Death could be trained. But after what happened on Outcast Island, I knew that it wouldn't be easy. On top of it the Whispering Death still gave me nightmares. The one that nearly bit off my head was traumatic enough.

"There, down below!" Hiccup pointed towards another gaping hole leading into complete darkness. We landed around it, the dragons shuffling around nervously at the hole. Hiccup jumped off and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Toothless! Toothless!"

"How do we even know the Whispering Death made these holes?" Snotlout asked with a smirk.

"So, you think it might have been made by another 2,500 pound rock-eating dragon we're following?" Astrid retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Do you even think before you speak?" I added with a glare at Snotlout.

"I know what you're… hey, don't confuse me!" Snotlout said after realizing what we were up to.

' _He was here not long ago_ ,' Snowfire said after sniffing the area carefully. ' _His scent is strong, and so is the Whispering Death's_.'

I patted her shoulder in thanks before spotting something in the dirt. Kneeling down I picked up and realized what it was. A dragon tooth, with the gum still attached. Not my greatest idea, but it was a clue that proved they were here.

"Snowfire picked up their scents, and I found this," I explained as I handed Hiccup the tooth.

"He must've lost a tooth," he said after observing it. I simply gave him a 'no duh' look before Tuffnut suddenly grabbed it.

"Is it sharp? If it is I want it! I like sharp," Tuffnut sighed blissfully.

"Yep, nice and sharp," I muttered after taking it back. Tuffnut gave me a look of disappointment until Fishlegs spoke up.

"Think about this: Hundreds of those spinning together, ripping through dirt and tree roots. Discarding rock like it's not even there!" he exclaimed.

"Well, that's reassuring to know," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes.

Suddenly the other dragons shifted uneasily and let out nervous growls. Snowfire was the only one who remained calm, but even she looked uneasy. Her eyes were narrowed with anger as she glared down at the hole.

"Stormfly, what's wrong?" Astrid asked as she tried to comfort her Nadder.

"Barf, calm down," Ruffnut scolded.

"Stop! Listen," Hiccup said, and even the dragons had quieted down.

"Listen for what?" Tuffnut asked.

' _It is the Whispering Death_ ,' Snowfire suddenly hissed. I looked at her uneasily when I realized that she was right. Those were the same whispering noises we'd heard at the plaza where the hole was. The same ones made before the ground started shaking.

"Uh, looks like we beat Toothless," Snotlout said nervously.

"Yippee, we win," I muttered just as the Whispering Death burst from the ground, spraying rock and dirt at us.

"Yeah, I don't feel like a winner," Fishlegs piped up. The Whispering Death suddenly turned and looked at him, leaning towards him. "Hi… um… I like teeth." Fishlegs whimpered as the Whispering Death opened and closed it's large mouth.

Then it turned it's milky white eyes at me. I struggled to remain calm as it glared at me. Everyone was silent as they waited for the Whispering Death to make it's move. It was just hovering there. That was until it coiled up and growled at the dragons. In seconds it burrowed back into the ground.

"I hate it when it does that!" Snotlout grumbled. "Can you at least tell me why it does that?"

"Maybe to hunt?" Fishlegs suggested after we all looked at him. "Maybe because it's cooler?" Still no response. "Or maybe to look for water." And yet again, silence. "Or maybe he can't stand the pressure of everyone always expecting him to have answers!"

"He's losing it," Tuffnut said to his sister.

"I know… It's awesome!" Ruffnut said with glee.

The Whispering Death shot up from behind Fishlegs, making him jump in terror. "Hold it still! I wanna touch it!" Tuffnut shouted and began walking towards it, but Ruffnut held him back.

"I'm willing to bet that it's looking for Toothless," I muttered. That was when Hiccup started approaching it. "Hiccup, wait, even I couldn't bond with it." The others just gave me weird looks at that. I still hadn't told them about my special ability.

"There has to be a way to train it," he replied in a firm tone.

"So, you're trying to get yourself killed?" Snotlout said in a smug voice.

' _Some dragons are not willing to follow humans_ ,' Snowfire put in.

"I've got to try." I desperately wanted to remind him of what happened when the Red Death attacked. Now that was a titan that couldn't be trained. But I resisted only just.

The Whispering Death had suddenly charged right at Hiccup. He quickly turned his head and reached out towards it with his hand. My heart was racing as the Whispering Death hovered just in front of him. It tilted it's head to one side, and for a moment it actually looked like this might work. But than the Whispering Death pulled back and dove back into the ground.

"Okay than…" Hiccup said slowly. Then I noticed what he was looking at.

"You're not going in there alone," I snapped after realizing how risky that was. "If you can somehow tame it, than it's possible we could train it." Hiccup eyed me skeptically before nodding in agreement.

"Um, I know what you're both thinking and the answer is no," Astrid said after a moment of silence followed. And of course we never listen.

...

As soon as we jumped down I noticed that there were network of tunnels winding throughout the area. It was dark, too dark to see ahead. Glancing up I noticed that Snowfire had jumped down to join us, providing a little bit of light.

"This thing's been busy," Hiccup said after giving the tunnels a good look.

"This must be where it spends all of it's time," I murmured thoughtfully. Snowfire leaned forward and rested her chin protectively on my shoulder.

' _It is not safe here_ ,' she warned us.

"There's got to be something down here that can help us." Snowfire only rolled her eyes when Hiccup ignored her. "Let's go."

We walked through the tunnel in silence, careful not to alert the Whispering Death. There were small shafts of light that occasionally peaked through the ground. But it wasn't enough to see ahead. I could see the roots of trees peaking through as well.

It really looked like an underground city, just like Bucket had said. Back in my world cave exploring like this would still be really popular. I can still remember that one time when Jacob and I had discovered a small cave near our town. We'd done a bit of exploring and had carved our names into the stone wall.

"I have to admit, these are pretty cool." To my surprise my voice echoed against the walls, causing us both to jump at the sound. Hiccup could only nod in agreement before we continued heading towards the left.

We turned towards a hole until approaching a pair of green eyes that looked back at us. In an instant Snowfire let out a fierce growl, and it turned out that said creature was a sheep. It took off running the moment it heard Snowfire's warning growl.

I held back a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding. Despite how cool these tunnels looked, it was dangerous going in without any weapons. I had Snowfire to back me up, but I wasn't about to let her put her life at risk. Especially when the Whispering Death had suddenly emerged from another tunnel, looking around with a low growl in the back of it's throat.

Snowfire had shielded us both from it's sight as the large dragon slithered past. I watched between Snowfire's wings and noticed that the Whispering Death avoided the sunlight peaking through the shafts.

Suddenly the Whispering Death stopped in it's tracks. It had wandered off enough that all we could see was it's tail. I tried to keep myself calm when I noticed the bite marks on it's tail. They were familiar bite marks, one that could belong to only one species I knew of.

"Did you see that?" I couldn't help but ask once it finally slithered away like a snake.

"The bite mark?" Hiccup looked at me in confusion until I shook my head.

"Not just any bite mark," I replied. "A Night Fury did that. And I'm guessing that Night Fury holds a grudge."

"A history," Hiccup's eyes widened in realization. "H-How long can dragons hold a grudge?" We both looked at Snowfire as she narrowed her eyes.

' _To the death_ ,' she replied grimly. It took a while for this to sink in for Hiccup. Finally he broke the awkward silence.

"Let's get out of here before it comes back," he suggested.

"Good idea," I mumbled in agreement.

We ran down the tunnel, but just than the Whispering Death emerged from the shadows of another tunnel. Once again we managed to run to the side just as the Whispering Death dove towards us. Snowfire had shielded us again with her wings. And this time I noticed that the sunlight from the shafts reflected against her wings. The Whispering Death let out a furious screech before avoiding the sunlight once again.

"Hiccup! Alex!" Astrid's voice echoed down the tunnels.

"Yep, right here," Hiccup replied once we reached the entrance. Snowfire proceeded to jump up, causing the other teens to jump back in surprise.

"Did you see the Whispering Death?" Tuffnut asked. "Was it cool?"

"Did you touch it?" Ruffnut asked.

"I want to touch it!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"Can you talk about this later?" Fishlegs asked in a worried voice. "We really need to get them out of there."

"Yeah, you do," Astrid put in after noticing something in the distance. I followed her gaze and realized that a trail of Earth was following us, at a dangerously fast pace.

"Alex, you go first," Hiccup ordered. I was ready to argue when I thought better of it. Snowfire had leaned down so that I could reach out, and she managed to pry me up.

"Hiccup, hurry up!" I yelled after realizing how close the Whispering Death was getting. Hiccup tried to reach for my hand as I leaned down, but it wouldn't reach.

"I can't!" Hiccup tried jumping, and at that moment our hands locked together, but Hiccup lost his grip and landed back on the bottom of the hole. My eyes widened with horror when I saw the Whispering Death was almost upon him. "Everyone stand back!" he suddenly ordered.

I nodded in understanding when I realized what he was going to do. Without a second thought I ran over to Snowfire and took off, hovering near the hole as the Whispering Death sprayed rock and soil towards us.

"Wow, I bet he could see our house from up there," Tuffnut said once I spotted Hiccup in the debris. The Whispering Death had suddenly burst out of the ground and was ready to catch Hiccup with it's teeth, but Snowfire was faster. She dropped him gently on the ground nearby seconds later.

"Thanks, Alex," Hiccup sighed in relief once he realized he was safe, for now. The Whispering Death didn't look happy as it turned to glare at us.

"I don't think it likes you in it's hole," Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, I got that."

"Can we get out of here?" Snotlout was actually whimpering. I thought I'd never see that happen. "Please?"

"No," Hiccup snapped. "I think I can train this thing. Anyone got some Dragon Nip?" In seconds everyone but me handed over some Dragon Nip. I already had a feeling this guy wouldn't like the idea of being trained. "Don't be afraid. I'm a friend." He held out his hands with a pile of Dragon Nip in them. "You'll love this; all dragons love it."

The Whispering Death gave a curious sniff of the grass. My eyes narrowed in surprise until it sneezed, spraying the grass all over. In a matter of seconds all of the dragons had dropped to the ground, intoxicated by the grass. I looked at Snowfire in disbelief when she was in the same state.

"Oh great, now we're defenseless!" Snotlout groaned.

"Yeah, that was a brilliant idea there," Jacob muttered under his breath.

"Any ideas? I'm throwing it wide-open to the group," Hiccup said while backing away uneasily.

"Well, we could either get eaten, or run away," I suggested after giving it some thought.

"I don't like the first option," Fishlegs replied.

"Agreed," Hiccup nodded.

"Right, or left?" I asked.

"Right!" Snotlout yelled.

All of us started running at once. The Whispering Death charged right after us. I had to jump out of the way a few times when it tried attacking me. Than it snapped it's jaws a few times at Hiccup as it changed targets, and at one point it almost got a hold of him. But out of nowhere Toothless came charging in, tackling the Whispering Death to the ground.

"Toothless!" Astrid yelled.

Toothless latched onto the back of the Whispering Death, clawing and growling as he managed to throw it to the other side of a clearing. It got back up again and let out another growl until the other dragons joined us. Toothless began to charge again, but the Whispering Death just slithered back into it's hole.

' _Coward_!' Snowfire roared after it. I nodded in agreement as Hiccup tried getting into Toothless' saddle. But the Night Fury only bucked him off and growled at him.

"Bud, it's me," Hiccup tried soothing him. "I know what's going on with you and that other dragon." To my surprise and relief, Toothless looked a bit less tense. "Let me help you." He reached for his best friend, but Toothless simply ran away again, and Hiccup tried following him. "Toothless, come back!"

Toothless stopped in his tracks and fired a plasma blast right near Hiccup's feet. The blast had thrown a bunch of dirt in the air, and Hiccup jumped back a bit. Toothless ran off once more, and this time Hiccup didn't follow.

"Awkward," Tuffnut said once it fell silent.

In minutes we had all taken off on our dragons. Hiccup was riding behind me on Snowfire as we searched for Toothless. He had just finished explaining the grudge match between Toothless and the Whispering Death.

"So, Toothless has an arch enemy; kind of like you and me," Snotlout said. I looked back to see if he was talking about Hiccup or me. Since the day I arrived on Berk, Snotlout had only gotten more competitive, especially now that he knew Hiccup and I were more than just friends.

"Snotlout, you are not my arch enemy," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, you're mine," Snotlout said, giving an 'I'm watching your back' look.

"Toothless is just trying to protect you, Hiccup," Astrid said as she flew beside us.

' _He does not want humans involved_ ,' Snowfire added in agreement.

"That's not what it is," Snotlout retorted. "Toothless doesn't want you to ride him because it's between him and the other guy. He's a fighter, like me. Not… whatever you are."

"I never thought I'd say this, but Snotlout, I think you're right," Hiccup suddenly said.

"Wait… huh? You guys heard that, right?" Snotlout asked in surprise. Even I was surprised with that answer, though I didn't say it out loud.

"It's not a fair fight," Hiccup explained after noticing our confusion. "If Toothless is going to win, he has to fly. He can't do that without me."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked warily.

"I'm saying we need to find him, and soon," Hiccup replied.

"But how are you going to get on his back?" Astrid asked. "He's made it clear that he doesn't want your help."

"Let me worry about that." After a few moments of flying, we finally spotted him running across the forest. "There he is!" Hiccup pointed him out first. "Get me down there."

We landed carefully on the ground in front of him. Hiccup approached Toothless slowly once he jumped out of Snowfire's saddle. Toothless gave a growl until he realized it was only Hiccup. Hiccup held a hand over Toothless' head, than gave him a hug.

"Hey bud, you had me so worried. You haven't been yourself lately. It's good to see you're still you," he murmured after Toothless crooned apologetically. Suddenly the Whispering Death leaped from the ground and roared in defiance. "You can't just walk away from this, bud!" Hiccup yelled, but Toothless didn't move an inch and growled back. "Let's just go home." Hiccup tried climbing onto Toothless' saddle again, but he only pushed him away and ran towards the Whispering Death.

"You were so close! I thought you had him!" Fishlegs said.

"Is there any way to convince him otherwise?" I asked Snowfire. She only growled and shook her head as Toothless fought against the Whispering Death.

' _We cannot interfere_ ,' she replied to everyone. The other dragons had made noises of agreement before backing away. By now the fight had gotten intense, to the point where Toothless was sent sprawling towards a cliff.

Toothless roared at the Whispering Death, but just as he did it dove back into the ground. What happened next made my heart nearly skip a beat. The cliff broke apart, creating a large gap between Toothless and the Whispering Death.

It came back up shortly after, breathing rings of fire towards Toothless. He managed to dodge them, but it left him with less room now.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled upon seeing this. The Whispering Death fired another shot at Toothless, narrowly missing this time. "Buddy," Hiccup said quietly. I watched in surprise as Toothless gave him an apologetic look again. The Whispering Death was relentless in it's attacks, shooting more rings of fire at Toothless. "He's going to knock Toothless into the canyon!"

"The dragons won't listen," I murmured while watching the scene unfold. "This isn't their fight." It was hard to watch and _not_ want to help Toothless out. Toothless was almost falling to his death into the canyon.

"Huh, this is beginning to look more like high school by the minute," Jacob said with a sheepish look. I just gave him a 'what the heck are you talking about' look. High school may have been rough, but it wasn't _that_ bad.

Then Hiccup did something that nearly gave me a heart attack. He walked over to the ledge of the canyon, taking a step forward before falling in. Everyone looked on with shocked expressions.

We watched on in horror as Toothless leaped for him, only to be blocked by another ring of fire from the Whispering Death. Toothless jumped from rock to rock until he reached Hiccup before he landed. I let out a sigh of relief when Hiccup climbed into Toothless' saddle. The rocks that were falling had created a cloud of dust and debris, and Hiccup used that to his advantage. Toothless emerged from the cloud just when everyone looked like they were ready to give up.

"Yes!" I couldn't help but cheer when they took off.

"You save me. I save you. That's the way it is," Hiccup said as they flew towards the Whispering Death.

The Whispering Death sensed their approach and fired spikes in their direction. Luckily they were able to dodge just as it fired another ring of fire, this time dodging it again. Just as the Whispering Death roared in defiance, Toothless fired a plasma blast.

That was when I noticed something again. Sunlight had suddenly beamed through the clouds, nearly blinding the Whispering Death. It roared in fury and dove back underground again. The same thing had happened in the tunnels.

"Hiccup, the sunlight! That's it's weakness!" I called.

"Okay bud, let's keep him above ground," Hiccup replied once they flew over one of the tunnels. Toothless fired several plasma blasts into the tunnels. The result ended in explosions that shook the entire ground.

"This is amazing," Ruffnut said after her eyes widened in amazement.

"We've got to find you an arch nemesis," Tuffnut added to Barf and Belch.

Suddenly the Whispering Death emerged from one of the holes and flew straight into a mountain. It recovered quickly and growled at Toothless again, only to have the Night Fury pin him to the ground. Toothless looked like he was ready to deliver the final blow when Hiccup stopped him.

"Toothless, no!"

Just then the two dragons exchanged a fierce roaring competition. It last for a few moments before the Whispering Death finally backed down and dove underground again. Once it was over we flew down to join them.

"Aw man, Toothless could've finished him off!" Snotlout groaned.

"Well, I guess not all dragon grudges are to the death," Hiccup sighed in relief.

' _Not all indeed_ ,' Snowfire hummed in agreement.

"Hey bud, what do you say we go home?" Hiccup said as we flew back home.

...

The past can sometimes come back to haunt you in ways you don't expect it to. Toothless learned that the hard way, but he will always have Hiccup by his side. As for me, I knew my time was coming up. I knew that sooner or later my past would do more than just haunt me.

We would all need to be ready for what lays ahead.

* * *

 **AN: Well, there was some foreshadowing in this chapter. I love the Whispering Death, and I was thinking of adding more about them in later chapters. I'm not too sure yet though. Onto review replies!**

 **The Silent Fury - Lol, I've never had that happen to me yet. Then again, I've never had a boyfriend. Thanks for the idea though!**

 **Sil - Ah Mildew... He deserves to suffer a thousand years in Helheim :P But that might be a little extreme.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - That would be funny to watch XD**


	27. Twinsanity

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Few things were said between me and Jacob that night when we'd gotten home from Outcast Island. Sure we still hung out from time to time, but we weren't friends like we'd used to be. Something in the back of my mind kept telling me that it was my fault. That at one point I did like him as more than just a friend. But that had all changed the moment I met Hiccup. Now I just wished there was a way to make up after everything that has happened.

"I always knew you two freaks would get together," Jessica had said when she found out. To which I'd actually slugged her in the arm after that. The look in her eyes was priceless when she realized what I'd done.

"Hiccup is not a freak," I snapped. "He's been more of a friend to me than you ever will be."

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked between me and Jacob. It had been two nights after the Outcast Island incident. Only a few people had known what really happened back there.

"Jacob, you can't really tell me that you support this?" she asked desperately.

He only shook his head in response, arms folded as he watched her in annoyance. It seemed as though the crush he once had on her disappeared almost over night. I remembered at one time that he thought about asking her out during the camping trip. Now I wondered if he regretted waiting so long.

"She's my best friend, and I'll support her on whatever happens in our lives," he replied with a shrug.

Was that regret I heard in his voice? I glanced at him in surprise, wondering where that had come from. We'd been friends for such a long time now. I could still remember that one time when we'd considered dating as an option. But of course that was all in the past.

"You're just as bad as the rest of them," Jessica finally spat, her gaze darkening as she glared at us.

"Jess, you're nothing but a spoiled princess," Jacob muttered crossly. "You've always been this way. Why can't you just once care about someone other than yourself?"

For once, I did feel sympathy for her. Despite the amount of anger that could be thrown at Jessica, I did feel sorry for her. She was suddenly thrown into a world that wasn't ours, with no technology or way back. I'm sure she felt lonely because she was used to being the most popular student in school. On top of it, she was petrified of dragons. It wasn't exactly the best mix for her.

Unfortunately, Jessica chose that moment to let out a huff of annoyance and storm away from us. I held back a sigh of frustration as Jacob started walking after her.

"Jacob, let her go," I murmured. He looked at me in surprise before I continued, "just give her some time. She may be a... _jerk_ , but she has her reasons."

Oh how I wanted to call her something far worse. But I kept my mouth shut in case anyone else was listening in on us.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a good heart?" His question took me by surprise before blushing. "There's a reason we've been friends for as long as we have."

I couldn't help but grin at that. We would always be friends. No matter what. I couldn't forget everything he had done for me in our world. The sacrifices he'd made for this world were just as important. Like me, he had lost his family as well. And neither of us could forget that.

...

About three weeks had passed since that conversation between the three of us. I hadn't seen or spoken to Jessica since than, but Jacob spent as much time with the riders as he could.

Some people like to say that two heads are better than none. Well I like to say, that's a load of bull. And four heads? I'd say you're crazy for even suggesting that.

Today we were running simple trust tests again, flying through dark clouds to see what the dragons would do. I already trusted Snowfire with my life, having learned that she wouldn't let anyone harm me. The twins, however, weren't too fond of that idea.

"How are we supposed to see up here?" Ruffnut asked in annoyance.

"You're not; that's the whole point of this exercise," I replied as I spotted their shadows. Snowfire's white scales made it easier to see in the darkness. For that I was thankful, but the other riders didn't have such a luxury.

"Oh… No, I still don't get it," Tuffnut muttered.

"When you can't see, you have to trust Barf and Belch to see for you. Like this," Hiccup said before flying into the darker clouds.

I watched from a distance as the two began arguing as to what direction they should go. Something told me that this was about to get out of hand, fast.

"Barf, up," Ruffnut ordered.

"Belch, down," Tuffnut said at the same time. The two heads did exactly as they were told. One head went up while the other went down, causing them to spin out of control. Snowfire hummed with laughter as the Zippleback slammed into Meatlug and Fishlegs.

The three riders had started falling, but luckily they fell into a tree. Once they stood up they realized the branch they stood on was starting to break. Snowfire stayed back just in case as the twins started arguing again.

Fishlegs gave a whistle and Meatlug flew to his rescue, but Barf and Belch were still spinning out of control. I think the fact that their riders were arguing had confused both heads. Not to mention they were getting too many orders. Hiccup flew down just in time to watch the whole thing.

Meatlug flew down and caught the twins just before they fell off. Once they were safe Fishlegs realized too late the branch was snapping.

"It worked! It actually worked!" he cried just as Toothless flew beneath him. Luckily he landed safely on Toothless' back.

"What was that hand thing you were doing?" Hiccup asked.

"If you must know," Fishlegs replied in a smug voice. "I have been crafting some rudimentary hand signals for Meatlug, just in case we get separated. And they seem to have been received."

"Hand signals, that's incredible, Fishlegs!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Yeah I know!" Fishlegs said excitedly.

"We need to start working on those right away."

' _Why are you humans so excited about waving your hands around_?' Snowfire asked in annoyance. The look on Fishlegs' face was almost priceless. He loved giving out new ideas, especially when they were actually useful. This time they might actually be just that.

Once we had finished our trust exercise everyone headed back to the arena. After explaining his idea, I noticed how eager everyone was to work on hand signals. I actually felt a bit out of place as the others started practicing.

"Toothless, battle ready!" Hiccup ordered after holding a shield over his left arm. He squeezed his fist into a ball, and Toothless got ready to pounce. "Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup held his hand up and pointed a finger downward while throwing the shield up. Toothless fired a plasma blast at the shield, destroying it in seconds. "Good job, bud! Smile!" I had to laugh at the wide smile Toothless gave him.

"Not bad," I said after patting Toothless on the head. He just crooned in agreement before giving me a lick.

"Stormfly, spine shot!" Astrid ordered as she held out her arm and extended her hand. Stormfly fired several spikes at her, leaving an almost perfect ring around her rider. "Well, that's better than last time," she said after pulling a spike out of her boot.

"Hookfang, annihilate!" Snotlout shouted after laughing at Stormfly's mistake. Hookfang wasted no time in launching a fireball at Snotlout. The force of the blast sent him flying into the board he had been pointing to.

"Bulls-eye!" Tuffnut said with a grin.

"Not bad at all," Jacob laughed at the sight of Snotlout hitting the board. "Sniper, you know what to do."

The purple and orange Monstrous Nightmare listened without hesitation, firing a blast at the board standing right next to Snotlout. I couldn't help but grin at Snotlout's face when he realized just how close the blast had been to his face.

"Think we should work on hand signals?" I asked while looking at Snowfire. It was hard not to laugh at the 'Are you serious?' look she gave me.

' _I do not need such foolish hand signals_ ,' she snapped. ' _Unlike the others_ _here_.' I only shook my head as Fishlegs stretched out his arms for Meatlug to hug him. And the little dragon enthusiastically did just that. I couldn't help but smirk as Meatlug gave him affectionate licks afterwords.

"Hm, that could be useful," Hiccup said before looking at the twins. "Ruff, Tuff, your turn."

"Barf, go," Ruffnut said, pointing away from us.

"Belch, come," Tuffnut suddenly said, making a 'come here' gesture with both hands. Barf and Belch tried splitting up once again, but both heads ended up smacking back together. I watched uneasily as the twins glared at each other. "Belch, ground."

"Barf, sky." This time Ruffnut was pointing towards the sky. Barf and Belch made an attempt to perform both commands, but only ended up doing a back flip and landed on the ground shortly after.

"Haha! I win!" Tuffnut laughed.

"What do you think you're doing to my dragon?" Ruffnut demanded, this time actually sounding angry.

" _Your_ dragon?" Tuffnut asked in disbelief. "Pa-lease, you've been breathing Barf's gas again."

"Yeah, so?" Ruffnut was glaring at him now.

"Guys, guys," Hiccup snapped them out of their argument. "Barf and Belch is one dragon. You have to use one signal at a time."

"Good idea," Ruffnut replied with a smirk. "Barf, attack Tuffnut." Barf suddenly turned his head towards Tuffnut and rammed him in the back with his head. The force was enough to send him flying right into Snotlout, knocking them both over. "How's that?" she asked.

"I don't think that's what Hiccup—" Fishlegs didn't get the chance to finish when Tuffnut interrupted him.

"Belch, eat Ruffnut," he ordered. Belch bit down on Ruffnut and lifted her slightly from the ground.

"Um… owe," she said in a muffled voice.

"Come on Tuffnut," Hiccup sighed in exasperation. This really was getting annoying. It had been funny a few minutes ago, but now….

"Whatever," Tuffnut shrugged. "Belch, drop Ruffnut." He signaled to Belch, and the dragon dropped Ruffnut to the ground. She shuddered once she was let go.

"I can't work like this," she snapped.

"Ugh, it's completely unprofessional," Tuffnut added.

"I'm taking my dragon and going home," Ruffnut muttered.

"You touch that dragon and I'll—" Tuffnut began, but Ruffnut cut him off with a glare.

"You'll what?"

"I… I don't know. Don't rush me. Just, uh… uh. I'll tell you tomorrow!" The scene left us all watching them in confusion as they tried pulling Barf and Belch, like he would separate somehow.

"Guys, come on," I muttered as the poor dragon let out a groan. "Stop please, leave the dragon out of it; it's over."

"Oh, it's over," Ruffnut snapped.

"Yeah, it's over. It's under," Tuffnut agreed. The two of them stormed off, leaving Barf and Belch to snap at each other angrily.

"What was that about?" Astrid asked once they were gone.

"I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "But it makes me glad that I'm an only sibling." I stopped and looked at Barf and Belch, than shook my head at the sight. They were still fighting like nothing had changed.

"You and me both," Jacob added with a nod of agreement.

"Yeah, they'll be back," Hiccup said.

Once we managed to calm Barf and Belch down we made our way back to the village. The fight between Ruffnut and Tuffnut still left me feeling troubled. I'd only met a couple of twins in my lifetime, and they usually got along pretty well. But when they fought, it could get ugly.

Snowfire and Toothless followed behind us as we headed for Hiccup's house. And of course the first thing we noticed was Gobber trying to strap a belt around Stoick's waist.

"Argh, suck in your gut, Stoick," Gobber muttered as he tightened the belt.

"It's sucked Gobber! It doesn't suck any more than this!" Stoick grunted, sounding like he was in pain.

"Ah, the Ceremonial Belt," Hiccup said as we entered the house. "It's that time of the year again?" I only looked at them in confusion. People seemed to keep forgetting that I wasn't from this world.

"Yep, tomorrow's the annual treaty signing with the Berserkers," Stoick replied in a strained voice as Gobber tried fitting the belt around his waist.

"The Berserkers?" I asked curiously.

"We used to be at constant war with them," Gobber explained before Hiccup could open his mouth. "But than Chief Oswald the Agreeable signed a peace treaty with us to end that war." I nodded in understanding until I noticed the look in Hiccup's face.

"Oh please don't tell me he's bringing that lunatic kid of his," he begged. Now I really felt lost. Thankfully Gobber once again dropped the name that I was waiting for.

"Dagur? Oh, he'll be here," Gobber replied.

"Great, and let me guess, I'm going to have to make sure he doesn't break anything," Hiccup groaned in annoyance at the thought.

I was already starting to suspect that this Dagur character was a bit of an ass. Maybe I was wrong. God I hoped I was wrong. We already had Snotlout and Mildew to deal with. Those two are more than enough for me.

"Actually, no." Stoick's response made us both look at him in surprise. "I have a more important job for you and Alex. You two get to hide all of the dragons."

"From a guy named Oswald the Agreeable?" I asked skeptically.

"Why?" Hiccup added in equal confusion.

"Just because we've had peace with them for fifty years doesn't mean they still can't go, well…" Stoick paused as he tried searching for the right word.

"Berserk?" Gobber suggested.

"Exactly," Stoick replied with a nod. "The dragons could be seen as a sign of aggression. Better blissful than bloody, I always say."

"And the last thing we want is another Berserker Skirmish," Gobber put in. "They tend to play for keeps."

"Sounds like my kind of people," I said with a smirk. The looks they gave me were priceless. I tried not to laugh as Stoick shook his head and sighed.

"So, just hide the dragons, both of you," he told us.

...

"So, what do you think of these 'Berserkers'?" I asked as I settled down beside Snowfire.

I was more curious about this Dagur guy that Hiccup and everyone else seemed concerned about. Hopefully he wasn't the trouble they claimed him to be.

' _They are humans_ ,' she replied in a growl. ' _Humans cannot be trusted upon first appearance_.'

"They can't be _that_ bad," I murmured with a shrug. "I mean, the Chief's name is Oswald the Agreeable."

' _I still do not like it_ ,' she huffed after heating up the stone she used as a bed. ' _When I am not with you, you are not safe_.'

"Love you too, Snow," I laughed at the look she gave me. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

' _Do not make promises that you cannot keep_ ,' she snapped before falling silent again.

I held back a sigh and realized that she had a point. Sometimes I wondered why I bothered. Being part of this world meant that there were dangers I was never prepared for. Maybe it was time I learned how to properly defend myself.

...

...

It was early in the morning when we gathered all of the dragons together. Fortunately they were more than willing to listen after offering a hand full of Dragon Nip. Not to mention the fact that they all seemed attracted to me.

"Back in line! Back in line!" Snotlout ordered a couple of Terrible Terrors straying away from the pack. "Is Dagur coming? He's so cool!"

"Only you would think that a guy named 'Dagur' is cool," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes.

"Cool?" Hiccup asked in disbelief. "Last time he was here, he used me as a throwing knife for target practice."

"That guy needs to be locked up in a cage," Astrid put in.

"That's what he did to me!" Fishlegs said with a shudder. "He kept me locked in there for three days!"

"Then he force-fed you rotten cod heads," Snotlout laughed at the memory.

"Thanks, I almost erased that from my memory," Fishlegs whimpered.

"This Dagur guy sounds like an asshole," I muttered as Snowfire and I flew beside Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup nodded in agreement, but our conversation was cut short by a warning call from Astrid.

"Look out! Incoming Zippleback!" she called as it flew wildly towards us. It didn't take a genius to know who the Zippleback was.

"Where's Ruffnut and Tuffnut?" Hiccup demanded. "Someone go and get that dragon."

"I'm on it!" Snotlout replied before flying under Barf and Belch. He jumped off of Hookfang and landed on Belch's head shortly after.

"Snotlout, you need two riders to control him," I pointed out before Hiccup and Fishlegs flew towards them.

"Fishlegs, get in there," he ordered. Fishlegs gave him an uneasy look before holding onto Meatlug uncertainly.

"I'm not really sure this is the best—" Fishlegs let out a scream as Barf threw him off of Meatlug. I smothered my laughter as Fishlegs landed on Barf's neck, causing the Zippleback to release a wave of gas that erupted in front of him. "I don't feel so good," he groaned.

"It's the gas," Hiccup explained. "Just don't try breathing it in."

"Yeah? That ship has sailed," Fishlegs said, and his face turned a pale greenish color. I thought that only happened in cartoons. Snowfire rolled her eyes at his reaction.

' _Why are humans so frail_?' she wondered out loud.

"Whoa! Hey, somebody tell me how to work this thing," Snotlout shouted as he climbed down to Belch's neck.

"Whatever you do, Snotlout, don't spark!" Hiccup called. But it was too late. Snotlout had pressed down on Belch's horn, causing him to spark up the gas. This sent the two flying back, but luckily Hookfang had caught them both.

"Okay, now I feel worse," Fishlegs moaned.

"Then if I were you, I wouldn't think of that rotten cod head sliding down your throat," Snotlout said with a smirk.

"Really Snotlout? Really?" I muttered as Fishlegs couldn't hold it in. Fishlegs had leaned over to throw up while Snotlout's face twisted in disgust. Serves the asshole right for stirring up trouble. I looked on as the Zippleback flew away.

"Wait here," Hiccup said as he flew next to Snowfire. "I need to find the twins to get that Zippleback under control before the Berserkers—" A horn blared in the distance, causing the dragons to falter in their flight.

"Are here," I finished while looking over my shoulder.

"Great. Just great," Hiccup muttered crossly.

Hiccup and I veered away from the group to warn Stoick about Barf and Belch. A dragon like that could easily frighten the Berserkers into thinking we were preparing for battle. That last thing the island needed right now was war.

"Dad, there's some—" Hiccup started, but Stoick cut him off.

"Not now, son. Oswald is here," Stoick replied.

And sure enough a large ship was headed in our direction. My eyes narrowed as I saw a flag waving in the air. It had the image of a Skrill, a dragon from legend that was said to control lightning itself, on the flag. I'm guessing that's the Berserkers' crest.

A smaller Berserker boat sailed towards us and landed in front of the dock, lowering a plank so that Oswald could walk down. A Berserker stood up and held a spear in the air.

"Presenting the high chief of the Berserker tribe; cracker of skulls, slayer of beasts, the great and fearsome—"

"Oswald the Agreeable?" Gobber and Stoick asked at the same time.

"Dagur the Deranged!" he finished in a booming voice.

My eyes narrowed into tiny slits as someone around Hiccup's age walked down the plank. He basically looked exactly like his namesake – deranged. Dagur stood behind the speaker before spitting over the edge of the plank. He turned towards us and let out a sinister chuckle.

"Dagur?" Stoick asked, still looking like he's seen a ghost.

"Deranged?" Gobber added.

"Oh, no," Hiccup grumbled under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me." Dagur suddenly threw a knife towards Hiccup, faster than any of us could react. Luckily the knife had narrowly missed. "Oh, perfect." I resisted the urge to glare at Dagur as he walked down the plank.

"Dagur, where is your father?" Stoick asked.

"My father, has been 'retired'," Dagur explained, using quotations around the word retired. "He lost his taste for blood. I, on the other hand, am starving." His expression turned serious for a moment as he looked at Stoick. "So, where are you hiding them, Stoick?"

"Hiding what, Dagur?" It was obvious that Stoick was trying stay patient.

"Do I look stupid to you?" Dagur demanded. I was ready to answer when Gobber stopped me with a smirk.

"Trick question; don't answer it," he said in a whisper. I only rolled my eyes in response.

"We both know what's going on here," Dagur told us with a wicked grin. "I have an excellent authority that you're amassing a dragon army." He was pointing an oddly shaped axe at us, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Excellent authority?" Stoick asked in surprise. "And who would that be, Dagur?"

"Never mind. Just know that if it's true than my armada will attack with a force of fifty thousand brave Berserker soldiers," Dagur replied with a smirk, gesturing towards his readying soldiers.

"Stand down, Dagur," Stoick told him, trying to keep things calm. "There won't be any need for the armada. Now let's get the treaty."

Hiccup gave me one pleading look before making a run for it. I glanced back at Dagur's army before following. If what Dagur said was true, than he'd freak if Barf and Belch were on the loose.

"Well, Dagur is officially an ass," I muttered crossly.

"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad," Hiccup sighed as we reached the village. "We have to find that Zippleback!" Astrid chose that moment to pull us aside.

"Guys, we have a problem," she explained.

"Oh, yeah?, you're telling me? Dagur's the new Berserker Chief," Hiccup replied.

"What?" Astrid looked at us both in disbelief.

"Yeah, his father 'retired'," I put in with a roll of my eyes. I already had a feeling just by watching Dagur that his father did more than just 'retire'.

"And he thinks we're hiding the dragons," Hiccup added.

"Well, we kind of are," Astrid pointed out. "Which brings us to our next problem." She pointed down towards a set of fresh Zippleback prints in the ground.

"Barf, and Belch, here?" Hiccup gasped.

"Could this day get any worse?" I asked with a groan. And sure enough it could. A roar sounded, and soon we found Barf and Belch eating a basket full of fish. The two heads looked on ahead, and we did the same, only to find Stoick, Gobber and Dagur approaching. "Why do I even bother?" I wondered out loud.

Without a second thought the three of us ran over to Barf and Belch. Barf's head looked in my direction while Belch's head looked at the basket of fish Hiccup picked up. Thankfully the Zippleback was following us. And just in time too; Dagur had arrived just as we led Barf and Belch away.

"And we're walking… walking," Gobber said slowly and deliberately. Than they stopped at the food storage house. "Here we have our storage of food. It's where we… well."

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me guess… Store your food!" Dagur finished with an over-enthusiastic response.

"No wonder they made him chief," Gobber muttered with a roll of his eyes.

They entered the storage house just as Barf and Belch ran past us. We still were hot on their trail.

"Barf, Belch, come back here!" Hiccup called in an urgent whisper. The second we ran past, Dagur walked out.

"Where'd they go?" I asked once the three of them were gone.

"I have no idea," Hiccup replied, sounding more worried by the minute. "You and Astrid keep looking, I'll go and warn my dad."

I really didn't like the idea of spending time alone with Astrid. Especially now that things had changed between Hiccup and I. And of course Astrid wasn't too fond with the idea either. Fortunately neither of us complained as we chased down the Zippleback.

Barf and Belch were headed for the armory, which of course happened to be where Stoick and the others were headed.

"This is crazy; why aren't the twins taking care of this?" I muttered as we chased after Barf and Belch.

"My guess is, they're too stubborn to admit they need each other," Astrid replied once we reached the armory.

"I knew it! Where is it?" Too late, Stoick had spotted Barf and Belch first as they rounded the corner of the armory. Thankfully Gobber was keeping Dagur busy as he grabbed hold of his sword, ready to kill.

"He's joking, Dagur!" Gobber laughed nervously as he looked at both me and Astrid. "That Stoick, always a prankster." I held back a sigh of relief when I spotted Hiccup headed for the armory as well, hopefully to grab Barf and Belch before they were discovered. "Tell me, Dagur, what are some of your deranged plans for the Berserker tribe?"

Sure enough we found Barf and Belch sitting on the roof of the armory.

"Guys, get down here, you can't be up there," I whispered after joining Hiccup.

"Oh come on," Hiccup muttered as they refused to listen. "We need to think like Ruffnut and Tuffnut…" He paused after realizing what he just said, all the while I was struggling not to laugh, despite the situation. "I cannot believe I just said that! Barf, sky!" He began waving his arms at them when they didn't budge.

"Belch, sky!" I repeated his words, hoping they might listen to me. And of course they wouldn't.

Dagur's voice followed as they got closer, opening the door to the armory. I didn't miss the fact that Hiccup winced. I closed my eyes and held my breath, praying that Dagur didn't notice Barf and Belch.

"Nice weapons, very clean, no blood stains; pity. Ah, Hiccup, there you are! And I see that Berk has a new resident on their island," Dagur said with a sly grin.

"Dagur! I was just thinking about you," Hiccup began with a nervous laugh. "Hey, remember that time we went swimming and you tried to drown me?"

"Oh, the laughs we had," Dagur sighed before noticing me again. "So, who's your friend?"

I looked up in time to see that Barf and Belch were gone, much to my relief. Hiccup and I exchanged looks. What exactly were we supposed to tell him? Best thing to do here was improvise. Hopefully Astrid was out looking for Barf and Belch.

"I've been on Berk for about a year now," I explained with a nervous shrug. "Best decision I made."

"Hm, interesting… Bored again," Dagur suddenly muttered. "Just a moment! Something's going on in here," he said in an accusing tone after looking around.

"Uh, I can explain," Hiccup replied.

"Where is it?" For a moment I thought Dagur was referring to the Zippleback hiding out. But than I noticed that he was looking at Hiccup's prosthetic leg.

"Your leg, Hiccup," Dagur told him with a smirk. "Never mind, I heard all about it."

"You heard all about it?" Hiccup asked.

"You. The Red Death. Defeated it with her help," Dagur explained, pointing at me. "So tell me, how is it that a girl who just moved to Berk was able to take down a dragon as big as the Red Death?"

"Wha-Us? Look at us! How is that even possible?" Hiccup asked as if it were some kind of joke.

"Yeah, I mean, it would've been more believable if we had killed a Terrible Terror," I added after biting the bottom of my lip.

"Right? That's what I thought too!" Dagur said with a laugh. Both Hiccup and I sighed in relief once he changed the subject. "But than I heard about the trained dragons, and it got me well… kind of tingly."

"Train dragons?" asked Hiccup with a shocked expression. "How would you train dragons?"

"I don't know," Dagur snapped. "How would you?" He spoke in an almost taunting voice.

"How _would_ we know?" I asked skeptically, and of course Dagur shot me a glare.

"Alright then. Who's hungry?" Hiccup asked to break the tension. Stoick finally came outside and looked down at Dagur.

"It's this way, Dagur," he said. As we turned to leave a roar sounded nearby. My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound, and everyone turned to look at us.

"Oh, boy am I hungry," Hiccup said, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah, you sound just like a dragon," I piped up in a playful tone. Hiccup gave me a knowing smirk as Dagur narrowed his eyes.

"I said this way, Dagur!" Stoick ordered, guiding Dagur away from us. Once Dagur was out of earshot he whispered, "you two get that dragon under control."

We returned to the armory in time to see Toothless dragging Barf and Belch by the tail. It was an amusing sight, and I would've laughed had it not been for the dangers we were all in. Dagur could declare war on Berk if he saw fit.

"We need the twins," Hiccup muttered. I couldn't help but nod in agreement. Barf and Belch wouldn't listen to anyone but their rider. That much was clear.

...

Later that evening the two of us were at the twins house. Suddenly Tuffnut came running down the stairs and swung between us. My eyes widened when I saw that his legs were attached to a wooden beam.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Hey Tuffnut, how are you feeling?" Hiccup decided to ask.

"Mind coming down to join us? This is kind of important," I added.

"Whatever…." Tuffnut did a back flip and landed on the floor before looking around smugly. "Whoa. Yeah, I love that part."

"Look," Hiccup began after sighing in exasperation, "about Barf and Belch, we need you and Ruffnut to get your dragon under control."

"Uh-Uh, no," Tuffnut replied with a shake of his head. "No thank you. I am officially out of the dragon business, and the sister business, and the sister and dragon business. The dristisderness."

"What's going on with you two?" I asked after folding my arms. "You've never fought like this before." Well, for as long as I've known them at least.

"Simple. You know what this is?" Tuffnut asked, holding up a spoon.

"Uh, a spoon," Hiccup replied in a questioning tone.

"No, it's our spoon. Just like this is our dish, and our axe, and our well groomed stuffed yak," Tuffnut explained while pointing to the stuff he had mentioned. "Everything is ours. I'm sick of ours. Just once I want something to be mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pack up my half of the yak."

"Go? Where?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know," Tuffnut replied with a shrug. "To my dark, soggy alone place. This is my house; too many memories."

With that being said, he started walking out of the house. I was too stunned to talk. Tuffnut, leaving? The terrible duo of Tuffnut and Ruffnut was over? How was that even possible?

"Tuff!" Hiccup called as we watched him leave.

"Dark, soggy alone place?" I asked warily.

"Yeah, I really don't want to know," Hiccup muttered.

"But what do we do about Barf and Belch?"

My thoughts went back to how Barf and Belch had more than one head. Maybe that was why they didn't listen to just one person. It made sense; they had two brains and probably fought with each other over who got to do what.

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted.

We chose to drop the subject until letting Stoick know what happened. I couldn't imagine what life would be like if the twins continued fighting like this. Normally they fought, but it was never _this_ bad.

"Did you get that Zippleback under control?" Stoick asked when we reached the Great Hall. He was holding a feast for the Berserkers and the peace treaty.

"We're working on it," Hiccup replied in a whisper.

"A toast! To death and battle!" Dagur cheered and raised his mug in the air. The rest of the Vikings lifted their mugs in the air and followed with the cheer.

"To your father! To Oswald!" Gobber shouted. Dagur sat back and leaned against his chair, glaring at Gobber.

"Fine, whatever. 'To Oswald! To Oswald! To Oswald!' Bladady bladady blah!" he muttered in a mocking tone. I grimaced as he pulled out a knife and drove it into the bowl sitting in front of him. His face was twisted with a look of anger that sent shivers through me.

"Well, on that cheerful note, shall we sign that peace treaty and send you on your way?" Gobber suggested in a hopeful voice.

"Great idea! Let's sign that treaty. Bring us the dragon's blood!" Dagur announced.

"Uh, did you say dragon's blood?" I couldn't help but ask. It felt like my blood had run cold.

"Well, this just got interesting," Hiccup muttered crossly. Stoick just gave a nervous laugh as everyone looked at one another uncomfortably.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dagur," he said after taking a breath. "Your father and I haven't signed in dragon blood for years."

"Why would that be a problem, Stoick?" Dagur asked in a taunting voice. "Unless, of course, you don't kill dragons anymore."

"We still kill dragons," Stoick reassured him.

"The problem is," Gobber put in, "that we've killed so many that there isn't a dragon within two hundred miles around here." My heart nearly skipped a beat when something banged on the door. Seconds later and Barf and Belch burst through the door, roaring in defiance. "Except that one."

Barf and Belch ran back outside when they saw Dagur. By now he had jumped out of his seat, giddy with excitement.

"A Zippleback! It's a sign! A head for each chief!" he said enthusiastically. Dagur laughed and slammed a fist into the table, before grabbing Stoick by the arms and shaking him eagerly. "It's going to be amazing!" He stood and threw his knife on the table. "Tonight, we hunt dragons!"

It felt like I was going to be sick when the Berserkers cheered for their new chief. How could anyone enjoy killing anything, let alone innocent dragons? There was no way in hell I'd let this bastard kill any dragon, or human while they were here.

"You need to find that dragon before he does," Stoick whispered to the both of us. I couldn't help but nod in agreement. This was about to turn ugly, fast.

...

...

' _It is about time you returned_ ,' Snowfire snapped as we all flew with our dragons over the island. Needless to say she was not happy with how long we'd been apart. In fact she was the first to approach me over the other dragons when we got back.

But now we had something more important to take care of: Barf and Belch. The Zippleback was on the run, and the twins were nowhere to be found.

"So, anyone else know where Tuffnut's soggy, alone place could be? It could be anywhere!" I asked as we continued flying ahead.

"Not really. There could only be one place," Snotlout replied, and we all gave him looks of disbelief. "What?"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Hiccup demanded.

"Why didn't you ask?" Snotlout retorted.

"Snotlout, we've been looking for them all day," Astrid snapped.

"And?" Snotlout muttered.

' _Would you like me to bite your head off_?' Snowfire hissed. Snotlout looked at her in shock before looking ahead.

"Glad to hear you again," he muttered under his breath. Snowfire let out another growl before he continued in a rushed explanation, "He's probably at the lost cavern. They used to play and go kill there when they were kids."

"Astrid, you, Jacob and Snotlout go and check the south entrance of the cavern. Alex, Fishlegs and I will take the north," Hiccup told everyone.

We broke away to fly north towards the other side of the cave, while Astrid, Jacob and Snotlout flew on ahead. I didn't miss the look Snotlout had given Astrid, and couldn't help but smirk. She could easily take care of herself if he tried doing anything.

Once we reached the cavern, Hiccup got up and Toothless helped light the torch he was holding.

"Alright bud, do your thing. Search," Hiccup said, using his 'search' gesture with his hand. Toothless gave a low growl before doing as he was told.

Snowfire checked the air as well and gave me a reassuring nudge with her snout.

' _He is near, I can scent him_ ,' she warned us. Toothless simply nodded in agreement as we followed him.

"Tuffnut?" Hiccup asked uncertainly.

"Ugh, you guys," Tuffnut groaned. He was leaning against a rock, looking at us in annoyance. "Would you guys quit following me?"

"Ruffnut!" Astrid's voice echoed through the cave.

"Would you quit following me?" another equally annoyed voice sounded.

"Did you guys here that?" I asked.

"Duh, it's called an echo," Snotlout said as he and Astrid joined us.

I peered over the rock Snotlout and Astrid went around and tried not to laugh. Ruffnut poked her head out, and Tuffnut did the same. Even if they wanted to be apart, they were still somehow together in the cave.

"Toothless, plasma blast," Hiccup ordered. Toothless fired a plasma blast in the air shortly after.

"What are you doing in my soggy place?" Tuffnut demanded, standing up.

"This is my soggy place, and I'm not sharing it with you," Ruffnut added, doing the same.

"Okay, listen, please. We need to get you guys to your dragon. It's important," Hiccup explained, dropping the torch.

"Barf and Belch are in real trouble," I added in a pleading voice.

"Fine. I'll go with, but not with her," Tuffnut finally replied.

"I'm not going anywhere with her either," Ruffnut added in an equally stubborn voice.

"Yeah! Wait, what?" Tuffnut looked at Ruffnut suspiciously.

"No, you don't understand. You both have to go," I warned them. The two turned from each other and looked at the ground.

"Guys, listen," Hiccup began, "like it or not, you two are connected to each other, and you're connected to your dragon. Just like me and Toothless." Toothless crooned in agreement at his rider's statement.

"And me and Snowfire," I piped in as she hummed along.

' _We are one_ ,' she added.

"Along with me and Stormfly," Astrid added in a proud voice.

"Us too," Fishlegs said.

"We can get you another spoon, another dish, and another stuffed yak; what we can't get you is another Barf and Belch," Hiccup told them. They both sighed and looked away, and an uncomfortable silence followed. It was obvious they were thinking of what Hiccup had said. "Do you think they got any of that?"

"Fine," Tuffnut sighed. The two spit in their palms and shook each others hands, than they banged their helmets together. "You know, I did spit in my hand a little more."

"They got it," Astrid said with a smile.

"Okay, let's go. We're out of time," Hiccup told everyone.

"So why is this so important anyway?" Tuffnut asked.

"The Berserkers are holding down your dragon for blood ink," Snotlout explained nonchalantly. Everyone gave him looks of disbelief at his insensitivity. Snotlout just shrugged as if it didn't matter. "What? Is that not what's happening?"

Moments later and we were flying over the forest, searching for Barf and Belch. Tuffnut was flying with Hiccup and Toothless, while Ruffnut flew with Astrid and Stormfly. It didn't take us long to spot the Zippleback in the middle of a clearing. The two heads were trying to fly in different directions, which didn't work very well since they were attached.

"Okay, let's get you guys down there," Hiccup said. We were all about to fly down, but it was too late. The Berserkers had already found Barf and Belch. What happened next made my stomach lurch with horror. They tied their ropes around the Zippleback, dragging the two heads to the ground.

"No!" Tuffnut cried. We all hid our dragons in the branches of a tree as the Berserkers led the Zippleback away. "What are we doing here? We have to get our dragon!"

' _I do not trust those humans, not on my life_ ,' Snowfire snapped.

"We can't afford to be spotted by the Berserkers," Hiccup added while nodding in agreement.

"Imagine what they'd do if they saw all of the dragons," Jacob added, watching the scene with unease.

We could only watch helplessly as Barf and Belch were dragged away. Dagur pulled out his sword with relish, and pointed it at the dragon's face. I think my heart almost stopped when he got ready to deliver a killing blow. But it was only blocked by Stoick's sword, only just. Dagur glared, well, daggers at Stoick.

"How dare you?" he demanded in a cold voice.

"How dare you?" Stoick asked in equal amount of anger. "We're supposed to slay this dragon together, and that's what we'll do. In the arena, where dragon killing is done."

In that moment I knew that Stoick was stalling, for all of our sakes. Dagur glared at him before finally sheathing his sword.

"To the arena!" he yelled, and the Berserker soldiers followed, dragging Barf and Belch along with them. Once they were gone we landed to the ground.

"The chief's not going to let them kill our dragon," Tuffnut said. "Is he?" the twins said together this time.

"He won't have a choice unless we come up with a plan," Hiccup replied.

"I have a plan," Snotlout announced. We all looked at him in surprise until he carried on, "One word: Annihilate!" He gestured towards the arena. Hookfang decided to blow fire over Snotlout's head and hit the back of his helmet. "Hookfang!"

"Or not," I said with a smirk.

"Actually, that could work!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"You know what that means," I whispered to Snowfire. She nodded in agreement as we headed for the arena. Communication between dragon and rider was key. And Snowfire was able to read my thoughts, to some extent. It gave us a major advantage in battle.

 _'This will be fun_ ,' she hummed when we reached the arena.

We arrived just in time to see Dagur raising his sword at Barf and Belch. They were tied down to the ground, whimpering in fear at the sight of the weapon. I didn't miss the fact that Stoick had his sword ready to strike if we didn't get there in time.

"Help! Dragon attack!" Hiccup shouted as Astrid and I followed him into the arena.

"The dragons are attacking!" I chimed in.

Hookfang stuck his head through the barbed wires covering the arena, with Snotlout on top of him. He made an ' _annihilate_ ' gesture that Hookfang surprisingly followed. He blasted fire at the Berserker soldiers who were holding Barf and Belch down.

"What is going on?" Gobber asked in disbelief.

"Gobber, dragon attack." Stoick gave him a look as he emphasized the words. It took a second for Gobber to register what he meant by that.

"Oh, _dragon attack_! Everyone, out of here!" he yelled.

Stormfly, Meatlug and Snowfire chose that moment to fly into the arena. The Berserkers readied their weapons. Astrid gave Stormfly a tail spine attack command, and she fired several spikes in the process. Fishlegs had given Meatlug a hug command, and she did just that. Sniper had flown in shortly after, firing a blast that shook the arena while Jacob rolled out of the way just in time. I gave Snowfire one look and she nodded in understanding.

She reared up and blew an icy blast that froze the ground right under the Berserker soldiers' feet. I tried not to laugh as they slipped and fell seconds later.

"We must protect our guests," Gobber said as he grabbed Dagur by the arm.

"Run all you want, but Dagur the Deranged will not retreat!" Dagur yelled before turning to face Barf and Belch.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were giving a gas and spark command, this time one at a time. They obeyed and sent a huge wall of fire. Dagur started reaching for his sword when I gave Snowfire another look. She swung her tail across Dagur without warning, knocking him off of his feet. The twins made an attack and bite command before gesturing for Barf and Belch to come.

Dagur saw them leaving and tried reaching for his spear. Just as he threw it, Toothless leaped into the arena and caught it before turning to face Dagur with a growl.

"Night Furies and White Terrors," Dagur said, his eyes widening in awe, "they _do_ exist!"

"Back, back you fiend!" Hiccup ordered "You will not harm my friend Dagur." He was holding a dagger and a shield as he gestured for Toothless to back away. Then out of nowhere he hit Dagur in the face with his shield to make it look like an accident. He pointed down to Toothless, and seconds later Toothless fired a plasma blast. Hiccup shoved Dagur out of the way towards the entrance, and his Berserker soldiers followed him. "Please, Dagur, save yourself!" Hiccup called.

I had to admit, it was funny watching Toothless push him to the ground. Had we not planned for something like this things would have been different. Stoick even tried pulling Toothless away, only to find himself unsuccessful.

"You owe it to your people!" Stoick added.

"Berserkers! To the boats!" Dagur added as Snowfire let out an eerie screech. Dagur and his soldiers ran out of the arena, right for the boats.

"What about the treaty?" Gobber called after him.

"Consider it signed!" Dagur yelled over his shoulder. Once they were gone everyone stopped fighting. I let out a sigh of relief as Snowfire nudged me playfully.

"Way to scare the crap out of them," I laughed.

"Well done, you two," Stoick said after his shoulders sagged in equal relief. "I don't believe we'll be seeing Dagur the Deranged any time soon."

"Let's hope not," Hiccup replied.

' _Agreed. Some humans will never learn_ ,' Snowfire hummed in agreement.

...

Some people would say that two heads would be considered crazy. But after meeting Dagur for the first time, I would take crazy over Berserk any day.

* * *

 **AN: Ah this chapter was fun to rewrite. I apologize for the long delay in update. I've been busy working on some secret projects, and between that and Winterjam, and the realization that I need to save up money for Passion 2017... yeah. But, next chapter should be posted sooner. Onto review replies!**

 **The Silent Fury - Lol, that would be pretty funny XD**

 **Sil - XD But worms are so cute :P I love the Whispering Death, frankly I think they're pretty awesome. Though the Skrill is probably one of my favorites, right next to the Night Fury.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Her past will more than likely be mentioned in the last part of the series, and I've got big plans for that :P**

 **Nightfire260 - I removed it because I lost interest, and than I found interest again. Only this time, I added in some major changes. It is kind of like Another Hiccup, but things will definitely be different plot-wise. Plus, I'm planning on adding the second part to Riders of Berk as well as continuing after the second movie. I was also offline for a while because I just started losing interest... which I now regret D:**


	28. Defiant One

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Not a lot was said after the incident with Dagur and the Beserkers. Luckily life returned to normal once they were gone. Though the news of Dagur becoming Chief had spread like wildfire, and everyone was on edge after that.

The life of a Viking can be a difficult, harsh and stormy one. Nobody could make it through alone. Eventually you will have to rely on someone. I'd learned that shortly after arriving on the island of Berk. Having to rely on anyone was something I wasn't used to. Sure I had Jacob to lean on from time to time in our world, but that was different.

Now we found ourselves over a stormy ocean trying to find a boat that was missing. All of us were struggling to see through the blinding wind, and of course, Snotlout wasn't making it any easier by complaining.

"This is so lame," he groaned. "Why are we even out here?"

"Because this is our first dragon search and rescue mission," answered Hiccup without missing a beat.

"I see a lot of searching, but not much rescuing," Snotlout complained.

"That's because we need to find the boat before we rescue it," Jacob pointed out.

"Do we even know where we are?" Snotlout asked, ignoring Jacob in the process.

"My dad said the fishing boat was last seen heading south," Hiccup replied.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Snotlout snapped. "There's nothing down there. I say we go south."

' _Why must you be such an irritating human_?' Snowfire grumbled in annoyance.

I could only nod in agreement to that statement. Of all the people on Berk, other than Mildew and Jessica, I liked Snotlout the least. All he ever did was complain when things didn't go his way. And worse, he was constantly flirting with whatever girl he met.

"And if Hiccup said to go north?" I finally asked when Snotlout continued muttering under his breath. Snotlout just looked at me in confusion when I said that.

"Are you trying to mess with my mind?" he demanded. "Because nothing gets in here. Nothing!"

"I think everyone knows that," Jacob muttered under his breath.

Both Astrid and Hiccup were snickering in amusement while Snotlout narrowed his eyes. I only sighed and looked towards Fishlegs, who happened to be holding the map.

"What does your map say, Fishlegs?" I asked. Fishlegs held the map up in confusion, but than it suddenly slapped him in the face from the wind.

"It's kind of tough to read from this angle," he admitted, his voice muffled by the piece of parchment.

"You know what, Hiccup?" Snotlout yelled. "I said north, and north is where I'm going." Hookfang roared angrily at the thought of going against the other riders' words. Snotlout rolled his eyes in annoyance and glared at Hookfang defiantly. "Hey, you work for me!" he shouted.

Snotlout and Hookfang veered off course, and we all just went on ignoring him. I think at that point everyone was just grateful to get some alone time away from Snotlout. Like Snowfire had said, he was one of the most obnoxious people on Berk.

"Are we just gonna let him go?" Ruffnut asked, sounding almost bored.

"Works for me," Tuffnut replied with a shrug.

I didn't miss Hiccup's sigh of relief once Snotlout was gone. Of all the people on Berk, Snotlout got under his skin the most. I've known for some time how irritating Snotlout could be to him. Though they were cousins, Snotlout didn't treat him as such.

"Ugh, I'm going, I'm going," he finally grumbled when Astrid gave him the _look_. I couldn't help but smirk at his deflated look. "Astrid, lead the others back. We'll get him."

"Oh, you're dragging me into this?" I groaned after realizing what that meant. Something told me I'd rather deal with this awful weather than go looking for Snotlout of all people.

"Hey, he's your boyfriend," Jacob said with a smug look. I just stuck my tongue out him before Snowfire followed Toothless.

' _Why does everyone worry about that obnoxious hatchling_?' Snowfire wondered out loud. ' _He has never shown his usefulness to us_.'

"There's a little saying in our world," I murmured thoughtfully. "You don't leave a brother in arms behind, even if that brother happens to be one of the most annoying people around."

I didn't miss the look Snowfire gave me. With a shrug, we followed Toothless' trail until reaching a massive looking water sprout in their direction. Unfortunately, Snotlout and Hookfang happened to be headed in that direction.

"Wow, look at the size of that water sprout," Hiccup breathed once we'd gotten close enough.

"And look what idiot is flying right towards it," I muttered under my breath.

Hiccup glanced at me in surprise before finally spotting what I was staring at. Hookfang did not look comfortable flying towards the water sprout, and understandably so.

"That water sprout is way too dangerous!" he called after his cousin.

"That's why I'm flying around it, duh!" Snotlout retorted.

"Snotlout, as much as I'm enjoying watching this, you're getting too close!" I added.

Things only got worse from there when Hookfang was suddenly sucked into the water sprout. Snowfire didn't hesitate to jump in and rescue them, despite our earlier warnings. I didn't need to look behind my shoulder to see that Hiccup and Toothless had followed.

Snotlout was losing his grip on Hookfang, and started flying around in the funnel.

"Help me! Help me, Hiccup, Alex!" Snotlout cried out in panic.

"We're coming!" Hiccup shouted. Both Snowfire and Toothless managed to dive in to try and save him. At least one of us could take Snotlout before he was thrown out of the water sprout. "Toothless, get us out of here," Hiccup ordered once he'd managed to snag Snotlout.

"This isn't going to end well," I muttered after realizing that Toothless' tail fin had been ripped to shreds by the wind.

' _Brace yourselves_!' Snowfire warned as a powerful gust of wind sent us flying across to a nearby island. Unfortunately, Hiccup and Snotlout were sent on one side of the island, while Snowfire, Toothless and I were sent on the other.

...

Stoick and Gobber were at the docks pulling a cart towards the village when the Viking teens returned.

"Push, Gobber!" Stoick yelled.

"I'm pushing it, Stoick," Gobber retorted.

"Well, it certainly doesn't feel like it," Stoick grumbled. "Push harder."

"Oh, there they are," Gobber said once he'd finally noticed the teens' arrival.

"I'm glad you're back," he told them. "The boat has returned."

"Could've told us that before we left," Jacob grumbled under his breath. Sniper crooned in agreement, tail flicking irritably against the cold wind.

"Excuse me?" asked the Chief, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at the young teenager.

"Um, nothing, Chief. It was all them," he quickly said, pointing towards the twins.

"Hey!" they chimed in together.

"Where's Hiccup, and Alex?" Stoick asked after noticing that three of the group were missing.

"They had to double back to get Snotlout," Astrid explained.

"Yeah, Snotlout had this brilliant idea that the boat would be north instead of south like you'd said," Jacob put in.

"I said leave him," Tuffnut scoffed after jumping off of Belch. Stoick then turned and glared at him. "Uh, her again," he quickly added while Ruffnut jumped off of Barf. "I don't know what her deal is," he said when she suddenly punched him in the arm.

Stoick looked at the sky, clearly worried about the impending weather.

"Nothing to worry about, Stoick," Gobber reassured him. "You know how those two are when it comes to their dragons. It's impossible to keep them apart."

...

I held back a groan when I finally caught my bearings. Snowfire rolled to her side, groaning in annoyance once she'd recovered as well.

"Well, this is just great," I muttered crossly.

We crash landed on some island in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't make out my surroundings too well, but this place looked desolated. Bare trees grew on cracked rocks and soil. A few ferns grew here and there with tough looking tufts of grass as well.

To make matters worse, I couldn't see Hiccup or Snotlout anywhere. Wherever they went, hopefully they had an easier time finding out where they were.

' _They should not be too far_ ,' Snowfire reassured me.

"We might as well start looking for them."

The rocky cliffs here weren't something I was used to climbing. While Jacob and I had our little adventures from time to time, I was never that much of an outdoorsy kind of person. So that made this trip all the more difficult when I almost slipped and fell on a boulder. Luckily Snowfire had caught me before I could break anything.

' _Clumsy hatchling_ ,' she hummed in amusement. ' _Why would you not rather fly? Taking to the skies would be easier_.'

"It would," I said in agreement, "but we don't know who else lives here, or what for that matter."

I could imagine my father choosing an island to live on like this one. If he had arrived in this world, than he would choose something tactical like this. No one would ever suspect anyone living on an island such as this one.

' _You are worried_ ,' Snowfire told me, concern filling her voice.

"Yeah, I just... want to find the others," I lied. Snowfire eyed me skeptically; she could see right through a lie. "Let's just keep moving."

...

"Toothless!" Hiccup called as he regained his senses. They were on an island of some sort, and of course he'd been separated from both Toothless and Alex. This day just got better and better. "Where are you? Snotlout?" He than heard a familiar roar and ran over to where he found Toothless laying in a small dip in the barren landscape. "Toothless! Are you okay?" Toothless gave him a 'what do you think?' look. "Come on, talk to me, bud." Eventually Toothless gave him a lick on the face to show that he was alright. "Oh, thank Thor," he sighed in relief.

Toothless than got up and shook himself. The rough landing hadn't been easy for any of them. Luckily it seemed both of them had made it through alright.

"That wasn't our best landing, was it?" he asked Toothless. The Night Fury only warbled in agreement, than Hiccup noticed his tail fin. "Great. Your tail fin is gone and the connecting rod is a mess," he muttered as he bent down to examine the damage. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"You can start by getting me out of this stupid tree!" a familiar voice shouted.

They looked up in time to see Snotlout hanging from one of the dead trees that surrounded them. Toothless fired a plasma blast that knocked him free. Snotlout let out a cry of surprise before crashing down to the ground in a heavy thud.

"Well, that looked like it hurt," Hiccup remarked as he approached the taller teen. Snotlout just shook his head angrily. "You sure? Can you talk?"

"Go... suck... rocks," Snotlout managed to wheeze out.

"Hey, he's back. Lucky us," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes. Snotlout than stood up on shaky legs. "Hey, where's Hookfang?"

It only took Snotlout a few seconds to realize that his dragon was missing as well. Hiccup only rolled his eyes when Snotlout started calling for his dragon. It was a wonder Hookfang had stayed with him at all over the last few months.

"Hookfang, you get over here right now!" Snotlout shouted.

"I don't think he's here, Snotlout," Hiccup told him.

"Obviously," Snotlout scoffed and folded his arms. "Pig-headed dragon."

"Don't worry," Hiccup said, struggling not to let his temper flare. "Now all we have to do is figure out how to get out of here." And find out whether or not Alex was okay. He knew Snowfire could easily take care of her rider, but what if they had been separated as well?

...

Moments like these made me wish I'd taken some kind of survival training class in our world. If it wasn't for Snowfire backing me up along the way, I probably would've either gotten stuck somewhere or broken a leg or two. Either way, I needed to start some physical exercise once this was over.

' _Perhaps they have already left the island_ ,' Snowfire suggested when night fell upon us. I gave her a look of disbelief before shaking my head.

"Snotlout would do something like that, but not Hiccup," I replied.

' _You seem quite uncertain_ ,' Snowfire huffed once she'd caught the doubt in my voice.

I shook my head at the thought. No. We were getting off this island once I was sure that both Hiccup and Snotlout had gotten away safely.

Fortunately it didn't take me long to find some shelter under a rocky cave. It was late, and I was exhausted after climbing over rocks all day. This 'search and rescue' mission was beginning to take it's toll on me, and Snowfire seemed to notice first.

"I just need to rest for a little," I reassured her as I leaned against the rocky wall.

' _I will keep watch_ ,' she hummed after deciding rest was the best thing for me.

I simply nodded in agreement before drifting off, not really caring whether or not we weren't alone out here.

...

Hiccup had spent most of the evening working on a new tail fin for Toothless. The Night Fury sniffed it curiously, not quite sure of the bright yellow color. Snotlout, in the meantime, was rummaging through Hiccup's satchel.

"Okay, that should work," he gave a nod of satisfaction once it was finished. Then he bent down to look for the metal connecting rod. "This might be a little harder."

He turned towards two rocks and placed it between them in the attempts to straighten it. But all that did ended up whacking him right in the face. His shout of pain drew Snotlout's attention, who was grinning at the scene the whole time.

"There's nothing to eat here, Hiccup," he grumbled. "What kind of search and rescue mission is this?"

"Point one, Astrid was carrying all the food we needed, and point two, instead of complaining, why don't you help me?" Hiccup asked after sighing in frustration.

"I am trying to help you," Snotlout protested while pointing a biscuit at him. "I'm trying to teach you about survival. You let your best friend carry all the food and you didn't pack enough proper supplies. And at the top of that list is food."

"Food. Like the one in your hand," Hiccup pointed out. "Alex was the one who told us to pack some rations and medical supplies."

She was also the only one who would likely offer any help in a situation like this. Snotlout, on the other hand, was pretty much useless at the moment. He only hoped that she was having a better time than they were.

"You mean this day old biscuit?" Snotlout scoffed in disgust. "It's even got a spot of mold right on it's—" Hiccup suddenly walked over to his side and snatched the biscuit right from under his nose. "Hey!" he shouted.

"We've got bigger problems than a biscuit!" Hiccup snapped. Toothless suddenly ate the biscuit from his hand.

"He ate my biscuit!" Snotlout shouted. "What kind of dragon eats a man's biscuit?" Hiccup let out a sigh of frustration. Snotlout was giving him a harder time than he could've imagined. "You know, his bad manners are a reflection on you."

Hiccup ignored him and went on trying to straighten the connecting rod. Having a dragon that could melt and cool it rapidly would really come in handy at a time like this. Snowfire could easily do that, if she didn't burn Snotlout to a crisp first.

"Give me that," Snotlout grunted after noticing what Hiccup was trying to do. "You're doing it all wrong. You need to put some muscle into it. Oops, I forgot you can't!" He laughed, earning a glare from Hiccup after he shoved his cousin aside. He then took the metal rod and started bending it.

"No, no, no. Be careful with that, it might—" Too late, the connecting rod snapped in half once Snotlout put more muscle into it.

"You wanted two of them, right?" Snotlout asked.

"Nope! That was our only hope of getting home, unless somehow we find Alex out here, and with any luck, she's with Snowfire," Hiccup snapped.

"Well, it's not my fault that your dragon has half a tail," Snotlout retorted. "Just get another rod."

"Don't you understand? We have no idea where we are!"

Hiccup was practically shouting now, and Toothless seemed to sense his best friend's anger rising. Unfortunately he also happened to sense that they weren't alone at the moment. He let out a warning growl, that caused Hiccup to stiffen with unease.

"You hear that?" a voice sounded.

"Over there," another one, this one familiar, sounded.

The two Viking teens exchanged wary looks before Hiccup pointed towards a boulder. They quickly hid themselves behind it along with Toothless while watching the intruders.

"What do you see?" Snotlout asked a bit too loudly.

"Would you be quiet?" Hiccup snapped, his voice dropping to a whisper while peering through a gap in the boulder. "For all we know, we could be on a hostile island."

"Don't be such a baby," Snotlout scoffed in disgust. "How hostile can it be?"

"Those are wild dragon tracks, alright," the first voice said.

"Good, I feel like killing," the second one, more familiar, added.

"Is that hostile enough for you?" Hiccup asked in a whisper.

Suddenly a large figure stood in front of the boulder, blocking their view. For a moment, Hiccup was afraid they had been spotted. Fortunately they moved away fast enough that they couldn't be seen.

"Do you see anyone over there?" the familiar voice asked.

"Nothing here," the first voice replied after moving away.

Hiccup was finally able to see who was there, and dread washed over him. "I know where we are now," he concluded.

Snotlout leaned over and peered through the boulder, only to have his face fall at the sight before them. Savage and one other Outcast guy were wearing armor, scouring the island for any dragons they could either kill or capture. Hiccup's fists clenched as he recalled what Alvin and the Outcasts had done to Alex.

"Come on, this way," Savage ordered.

"Right behind you!" his comrade replied.

"That was Savage, Snotlout," Hiccup explained, his voice grim with hate. "We're on Outcast Island."

...

It was early in the morning when Snowfire's growl woke me up. I blinked against the darkness to regain my senses. For a while I wondered where we were. Than it all came rushing back. Snowfire was blocking the only way out of the shelter I'd found.

"Morning," I murmured sleepily.

' _Good morning, little one_ ,' Snowfire turned and rested her snout on my stomach, causing me to lurch forward.

"Did something happen while I was asleep?" I asked, wary of anyone who might have seen us.

' _We are not alone on this island, just as I suspected_ ,' Snowfire warned me. I only rolled my eyes at that, recalling that I was the one who'd told her that.

"Well, that's just wonderful," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "So, not only are we alone, but we're also on an inhabited, and most likely hostile island in the middle of nowhere." Snowfire simply hummed in amusement at my response.

' _They will not dare get close enough to see me_ ,' she promised.

I could only hope that she was right. For now we needed to find Hiccup and Snotlout more than ever. We were all sitting ducks out here if anyone spotted us. And I for one was in no hurry of becoming anyone's prey again.

...

Hiccup and Snotlout were both climbing down a steep ravine after they'd had a difficult night's sleep. Toothless had thankfully kept watch over them, but that didn't help ease the worry that washed over his rider. Hiccup was amazed at how calm Snotlout could be in a situation like this.

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating dark gray clouds that surrounded the island. The storms hadn't broken up since earlier yesterday. This wasn't good flying weather to begin with.

"Outcast Island! I can't believe this. We've really got to fix the connecting rods and get out of here, or we're dead men," Hiccup said. Then he turned to see Snotlout was stuffing his face was purple-red berries. "Snotlout, I'm not sure you should be eating those," he added.

"Well, I'm not sure you should be telling me what to eat," Snotlout retorted, his mouth still full of berries. "Especially after you took my biscuit," he added to Toothless, who was sniffing the bush curiously. "Hey, back off! These berries are mine!"

"Those berries also happen to be poisonous," Hiccup pointed out.

"Hey, we're on Outcast Island! We're going into battle. We need to save our strength, a concept you know nothing about," Snotlout snapped.

"Battle the Outcasts, really? Just the two of us?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"Abtholutely," Snotlout replied in a horrible lisp.

"What did you say?" Hiccup asked, turning around before noticing Snotlout's badly swollen tongue.

"I thaid, abtholutely. As in, of courthe," he replied, sounding a bit more confused than before.

Hiccup shook his head in frustration. This was exactly what he was afraid would happen. Snotlout rushed blindly into everything, and was paying the price for it now. He really wished that Alex was here, maybe they could get off the island between the two of them.

"Give me my satchel," he ordered. "Alex may have given me something to help with your tongue."

"Thatchel?" Snotlout repeated, sounding nervous.

"No, no, no!" Hiccup threw his arms up in frustration after realizing where Snotlout was going with this. "Do not just tell me that you left it there. If someone finds that 'thatchel', we're done! It's got the Berk crest on it!"

"Relax, we're thafe," Snotlout replied. "Trutht me, no one is going to find it."

...

"I swear to God, if anything has happened to Alex, I'm gonna strangle that Jorgenson boy myself," Jacob growled as he paced between Sniper and Stormfly. Astrid watched his ranting with a smirk, her arms folded while he continued ranting under his breath.

"They've been gone for a whole day," Stoick put on as he joined them. "I thought you said they were right behind you?"

"Knowing Hiccup, they've probably set down to wait out the storm," Astrid reassured the Chief.

"And if they haven't?" Jacob asked, his anxiety reaching boiling point. "What if something's happened to them?"

"You seem to care an awful lot about a certain someone," Astrid pointed out.

"Yeah well, she's my best friend," Jacob replied after realizing who the young blond was talking about. "I just wish I'd had the chance to admit that we were more than just friends," he added, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I see something!" Fishlegs suddenly called.

Everyone looked to the sky to see what Fishlegs had seen. Sure enough, a figure was approaching them fast. It didn't take them long to recognize what said figure was. The figure happened to be Hookfang, engulfed in flames and heading straight towards the riders. Sniper let out an irritated growl that sent the Monstrous Nightmare turning in circles.

"If Hookfang is here, than where's his rider?" Fishlegs asked anxiously.

"And where are Hiccup, Toothless, Alex and Snowfire?" Jacob put in.

"I don't know, but I don't like this," Astrid murmured thoughtfully.

"Get your dragons ready," Stoick ordered. "We're heading out!"

...

Snowfire had blocked my view when we reached a beach. My eyes narrowed when I recognized an Outcast boat. This wasn't good. An Outcast boat on this island meant that we were on their territory, or they were investigating this island for whatever reason.

"This isn't going to end well for anyone, if they see us," I muttered crossly. Snowfire only growled in agreement. That was when I noticed an oddly familiar entrance. One that led directly to the caves where Alvin and his men worked. "Okay, maybe staying on this island wasn't the greatest ideas I've had," I admitted.

I chose that moment to approach the rocky cliff nearby, hopeful they hadn't spotted me first.

' _They will know that we are here_ ,' Snowfire warned me. ' _We should leave, now_.'

"Not until we—" My heart nearly skipped a beat when a familiar roar cut me off. "Toothless!" I couldn't help but grin as said Night Fury nearly tackled me to the ground in a happy warble. "It's good to see you too," I laughed when he finally let me up.

"Alex, you're okay!" Hiccup's cry made me look up in surprise. Standing beside him was a very annoyed but relieved looking Snotlout. "I thought you would've flown away with the others by now."

He held out a hand to help me back on my feet.

' _She did not want to abandon you, hatchlings_ ,' Snowfire explained, shooting a glare at Snotlout.

"Awe, you were jutht too chicken to go on your own," Snotlout replied. I smirked after noticing that Snotlout's tongue was swollen and hanging out of his mouth. "What?" he asked, giving me a cold look.

"What's the plan from here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"We need to wait until nightfall," Hiccup explained, gesturing to the village that led to Alvin's compound. "Once the blacksmith leaves, I can sneak in and get a new connecting rod for Toothless' tail fin."

Only than did I notice that Toothless' tail fin had been replaced with a new one.

"Okay, sounds like a plan," I murmured thoughtfully. Then I looked at Snotlout with a knowing smirk. "You know, there is a remedy for that swollen tongue of yours," I added.

Snotlout looked like he wanted to know what that remedy involved. Fortunately he didn't have the guts to ask. Toothless was giving me a look that said everything Snotlout needed to know. This was not going to end well for Snotlout.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere out at sea, a small rescue party of dragon riders were approaching the area where Hiccup and the others had disappeared. Hookfang, who was currently flaming up under Gobber, flew beside Jacob and Sniper.

"Easy there, dragon! It's a good thing I packed my iron skivvies," Gobber shouted while trying to keep Hookfang under control. "That's it, dragon. Sniff out your master's scent." He was holding onto the Monstrous Nightmare's horns as tightly as he could.

"It's Snotlout, how hard can that be?" Astrid asked in a joking manner while Stormfly hovered close to Sniper. She was concerned for Jacob, especially after hearing what he had to say about his missing friend.

"I don't think he's taken a bath once since I've met him," Jacob muttered. "It's a wonder his stench hasn't attracted scavengers."

The twins were busy annoying Stoick as he flew Thornado close to him.

"Are we there yet?" Tuffnut asked.

"No," Stoick replied.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Ruffnut whined.

"You should have said that before we left," Stoick snapped, sounding exasperated.

"That's what the helmets are for," Tuffnut retorted. The twins suddenly took their helmets off to do their business.

"Ugh, that's more than I needed to see in my lifetime," Jacob grumbled, shielding his eyes from the sight.

"Hang on, I think the dragon's got a whiff," he suddenly heard Gobber shout.

...

Back on Outcast island, Hiccup was leading both me and Snotlout to the blacksmith stall. It was already dusk, and the longer they stayed on the island, the better chances they had of Alvin or one of the Outcasts spotting us. I really wasn't in any hurry to become their prisoner again.

Unfortunately, venturing into the village meant I had to leave Snowfire outside. She had a tendency to stand out. And attack those who were an obvious threat to anyone she cared about. That could lead us into disaster.

"Come on, hurry! We don't know how long the blacksmith will be gone," Hiccup urged us.

"Do you know how hard it is to keep Snowfire from following us?" I asked with a roll of my eyes. "Of course I'm trying to hurry." It was Snotlout who seemed to take his good old time.

"Betty Boda bought a bit of bitter butter. And she said, 'this butter's bitter.' If I bought a bit of better butter, it would—" I cut Snotlout off by elbowing him in the rib. He let out a choking cough before glaring at me. "What was that for?" he demanded crossly.

"One, for being an ass, and two, for talking so much that you could give away our position," I explained, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Be thankful my punches aren't as hard as Astrid's."

"Snotlout, what are you doing in the first place?" Hiccup asked with a roll of his eyes.

"I _was_ enjoying my tongue again," Snotlout explained.

Really? Because my eardrums weren't. Luckily it seemed like the poison was fully out of his system. Night Fury saliva, it made a surprisingly good remedy for poisonous plants. And Toothless had been all too willing to help out as well.

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ is," Hiccup muttered as if he'd read my thoughts.

That's when Snotlout caught sight of a familiar dragon. Or at least what he thought was familiar. It only took me a second to realize that this happened to be a wild Monstrous Nightmare that Snotlout was rushing at.

"Hookfang!" he shouted with glee.

"No, Snotlout, wait!" Too late, Snotlout realized that it wasn't Hookfang.

"Whoa, not Hookfang," he yelped, backing away from the dragon that glared at him.

"It's a wild Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup explained before Toothless suddenly roared at it. "Toothless, stop!"

"There they are, the Berk intruders!"

"Uh, guys... we have company," I stated, seeing a group of Outcast soldiers headed in our direction.

"Run!" Before I could make sense of what was happening, Hiccup suddenly grabbed my hand and ran in the opposite direction of the soldiers, Snotlout and Toothless close behind. The Outcast soldiers began firing arrows from their crossbows, prompting the four of us to make for a shallow crevice to avoid getting hit. "Circle back around, bud!" Hiccup instructed as Toothless looked at us anxiously.

"Be careful, Toothless, and warn Snowfire!" I called after the Night Fury.

"There they go, that way!" one of the Outcast soldiers shouted. They were relentless in their pursuit, shooting arrows at the teens as they dodged them.

"It's like gym class all over again," I gasped once I managed to catch my breath. We'd been running for what felt like forever, until finally we managed to shake the Outcast soldiers off our trail. Hiccup took a few more minutes to catch his breath, while Snotlout barely looked like he broke a sweat. "Yeah, definitely gym class," I muttered under my breath. Snotlout could easily pass for a football player in our world.

"Good, they're gone," Hiccup sighed in relief once he'd caught his breath. "Alright, we'll just wait here until Toothless and Snowfire get back, then head to the blacksmith shop."

"No way! I'm not going anywhere near that place," Snotlout protested. "You almost got us caught!"

"Really? Now?" I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

' _I told you this was a bad idea_ ,' Snowfire hummed once she and Toothless found us. Unfortunately, Hiccup and Snotlout were caught in another one of their infamous arguments. ' _Do they ever cease their arguing_?' she asked, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"I almost got—" Hiccup paused to let Snotlout's words sink in. "The only reason the Outcasts know we're here is because you lost the satchel with the Berk crest on it!"

"Well, who brought the satchel with the Berk crest on it?" Snotlout retorted.

"Well I had no idea we would end up on Outcast Island!" Hiccup shot back.

"So _you're_ not prepared and _I_ get the blame?" Snotlout demanded.

"Would you two quit it?" I shouted above their arguing. Both of them looked at me in surprise, and even Toothless looked taken aback. "This arguing isn't going to get us anywhere, especially with those soldiers looking for us. Just once would it kill you to get along?"

Somehow it felt like I was back in preschool, where someone was fighting over a pack of broken crayons. And this was only giving me a headache.

"We could build a raft to get us off this island," Hiccup suggested after apologizing. Snotlout, of course, refused to apologize.

Luckily though, with a bit of grudging reluctance, Snotlout agreed with the raft idea. I only gave Snowfire a smirk. If anyone could get us off this island, it was her. But Toothless couldn't fly, and I doubt she could carry three riders and a dragon. Besides, it was good to actually see if these two could work together.

Unfortunately, Snotlout refused to do any of the physical work while Toothless and I helped gather the wood. We were halfway finished with the raft when Snotlout began another argument; this time it was Hiccup who'd started it.

"There you go... good job, bud," Hiccup praised Toothless as the Night Fury handed him a piece of wood. What am I, chop liver? "At least _someone_ is pulling their weight around here," he added over his shoulder. That's when Snotlout chose to rebel again.

"Oh, you are _so_ smug," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"ME?" Hiccup exclaimed. I only shook my head in frustration once again.

' _Useless hatchlings_ ,' Snowfire hissed under her breath.

"Well, I wonder how long it'll take for Alvin to find us?" I wondered to no one in particular.

' _At this rate, their squabbling voices will attract his attention_ ,' Snowfire chimed in.

"Hiccup's so smart! Hiccup's so brave! He killed the Red Death! He's trained the dragons! He's got a metal leg!" Snotlout went on rambling, and I nearly facepalmed at the stupidity of this argument.

"That was low, Snotlout, even for you," I muttered crossly. Neither of them seemed to hear me though. Toothless looked at his rider uneasily as he scurried to my side, warbling in concern. "Yeah, I feel you," I whispered while scratching his chin.

"Metal leg?!" I don't think I've ever seen Hiccup this angry. Than again I've only known him for about a year and a half. "That's what's bothering?! That's where you're going? Metal leg?!"

"No, it's everything the leg's attached to!" Snotlout fired back.

' _Enough_!' Snowfire suddenly snapped, stepping between them. Her stern glare was enough to shut them both up, and I let out a sigh of relief. 'If you continue on like this, I will personally rip your throats out and feed them to the Scauldron's,' she finished, earning looks of disbelief from both Hiccup and Snotlout.

Snotlout's mouth opened and closed like he wanted to say something else, but luckily he thought better of it. Instead he threw his hands up in frustration and started wandering away.

For the first time, I understood what Hiccup had meant when he said that he never got along with his cousin. The two of them were nothing alike, yet they shared the same blood. And of course, Snotlout did not want to take orders from someone like his cousin. My fists clenched with frustration as I tried thinking of a way to make them understand one another. Otherwise we were never getting off this island.

"Snowfire's right," I muttered crossly. "I only just ran into you two, and all you've been doing since than is argue with one another. You're supposed to be cousins, why not treat each other as such? And Snotlout, it's your reckless behavior that got us into this mess in the first place. If you'd actually listen for a change, than maybe we wouldn't get into these situations!"

"Alex, I—" I cut Hiccup off before he could continue.

"I'm not finished," I snapped, glaring at them both. "You should consider yourselves lucky to have each other. This isn't the way family should treat each other. I should know." My voice suddenly became bitter, and it wasn't because of their constant arguing. I've never met my dad's side of the family, and my mom's family had cut her off before she was even married. They had no idea just how lucky they were to know each other. "Be thankful for what you have, because one day, it might just disappear."

"Where are you going?" Hiccup asked as I turned back towards the direction we'd run from.

"To the blacksmith," I called over my shoulder. "You're more than welcome to join me once you've settled your differences."

I'm not even sure where this sudden bravery came from. But I knew that somehow we had to get off this island without causing a fuss over it. And I was going to prove that it could be done.

...

Hiccup exchanged a look of surprise with Snotlout. After what had happened on the island during the Heather incident, both were surprised she had the courage to face them again. Snowfire looked like she was ready to charge after her rider when Toothless let out a warning warble.

"She's gone and out of sight," Snotlout sighed once Alex had left them alone. "You know, she's got a lot of fire in her. I'm surprised you can tolerate her."

Hiccup only glared at him in response. Despite his cousin's arrogant attitude, at least Snotlout had finally gotten quiet after her outburst. Both of them were well aware that she had a history she wasn't willing to share, and that curiosity had gotten the better of Snotlout.

"Look... I don't know if you'll ever get along with me... and I'm okay with that, Snotlout," Hiccup explained after earning a look of surprise from his cousin. Snotlout, for once, decided to listen to what his cousin had to say. "If you don't want to come, you can wait here with Toothless and Snowfire. I'll go and find Alex, I'm sure Alvin would love to get his hands on her. You don't have to come if you don't want to." For once, Snotlout was quite once again before shrugging.

"I'll probably just slow you guys down anyways... you go on ahead," he replied. Nodding, Hiccup motioned for Toothless to follow. "You know, Alex is right," Snotlout suddenly added. Hiccup turned and looked at him in surprise. "About the whole family thing," he quickly put in. "I should've been looking out for you, when all I've done is make things worse. I guess I can be too proud for my own good, and I have been a real jerk to you. So... I guess I'm sorry."

Hiccup could hardly believe that Snotlout was saying these things. Maybe Alex really had gotten through to his cousin's head. Either way, he was grateful to have a moment of silence between them.

"We'll be back in a little while," he reassured Snotlout. "You sure you're okay, staying here with Snowfire?"

' _I shall look after the hatchling_ ,' Snowfire reassured them both. Hiccup could only smirk at that.

"Just make sure you two get a move on," Snotlout muttered after rolling his eyes. "I really would like to keep my throat after all of this."

Without another word, both Hiccup and Toothless left Snotlout on the beach with Snowfire. That alone should make things interesting for the Jorgenson boy. Snowfire had a quick temper and wouldn't put up with him so easily. Hopefully Snotlout would still be alive when they got back.

...

"Well, well, if it isn't the girl who can bond with dragons." I groaned at the sound of Savage's voice. "So nice of you to drop by." I turned to face said Outcast soldier, my fists clenched as I glared at him defiantly.

"Damn, I should've known you'd still be here," I muttered crossly.

"All by yourself now, are you?" he asked in a mocking tone. Luckily I still kept a dagger at my side. I'd learned in a short time to always keep it with me. And this time having it came in handy as I rushed at Savage. Unfortunately he easily sidestepped just as I reached him, only to have another soldier grab me by the collar of my shirt. "Wouldn't you like to have a reunion with that boy?" Savage asked in a sneer while I struggled to free myself. "I'm sure he's looking for you as we speak."

"In the meantime, we could always have some fun with the girl," another soldier said with a sly smirk. My heart nearly skipped a beat in horror at that. "I bet she'd—" Savage stopped him before he could say anything else.

"Shut your trap!" he snapped. "Alvin wants the girl alive. Besides, if she's hear, than so is Stoick's boy. Those two are always together."

"But she has a pretty face," the soldier added. I struggled against Savage's grip, but despite those efforts, he wouldn't let go.

"Enough, if want the boy to listen than we'd best keep her in the best health possible. Besides, he'd more than likely destroy our entire island if we violated her in any way," Savage snapped once again.

I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought of what they could do to me. Their little chat only brought back terrible nightmares. Nightmares that I'd rather keep hidden from the rest of the world. At least Savage seemed to have some sense of morality, unlike the rest of his comrades.

"So, what are we supposed to do with the brat, than?" the soldier asked in annoyance.

"We'll use you as bait, my lass," Savage replied, looking down at me with a knowing grin.

A shudder ran through me at the thought. I couldn't let them hurt Hiccup, or the dragons. I'd never felt more useless than now.

...

The rescue party had been on route for what felt like hours when Fishlegs finally spotted something in the water.

"You guys need to see this," he alerted everyone.

"There's something red in the water," Jacob announced after spotting what Fishlegs had seen. Than his eyes widened with realization after remembering what Toothless' tail fin looked like.

"Okay, Stormfly, tail flip," Astrid ordered. Stormfly obeyed her with ease and used her tail flip maneuver to grab the floating object. Only when the object was out of the water did she realize why Jacob was gaping at the object in horror. "It's... Toothless' tail," she said softly, gripping the cloth tightly.

"Oh no, Toothless lost his tail! If Toothless doesn't have a tail, than he can't fly! He can't fly! He can't fly! He can't—" Stoick cut Fishlegs' mumbling off randomly with a stern look.

"Enough! Those kids are probably stranded at sea," he explained. "We fly close to the water." Thornado swooped down closer to the sea, not noticing the look of concern washing over Jacob's face as the young teen flew along side Astrid and Fishlegs.

"That doesn't explain why Alex didn't come back with Snowfire," he muttered quietly.

"Alex wouldn't leave Hiccup's side," Astrid murmured. "Not with Snotlout around, at least." Only than did she notice that it wasn't Hiccup that Jacob was worried about. "Do you regret not making the first move?" she suddenly asked.

Jacob looked at Astrid in disbelief before shaking his head. Sniper rolled his eyes at his rider's lack of trust in the group. "Is it that obvious?" he asked in a whisper.

"Oh yeah, it's obvious," Astrid replied with a smirk. Her gaze softened though when she realized that he was serious. "Why didn't you say anything before all of this?"

"I-I don't know!" he snapped. "Before we showed up in this world I had a crush on Jessica, but than... I always did like Alex, maybe even as more than just a friend. But than she met Hiccup and..."

"I know how you feel," Astrid suddenly told him, her voice quiet enough that the others didn't hear. Jacob looked at her in disbelief. "If there was anything I could do to change the past, I'd go back and apologize to him. For everything I've said and done." Her grip on Stormfly's saddle tightened.

Neither of them said another word as they continued searching for all three teens. This was a search and rescue mission. They had to find them before the storms broke again.

...

Luckily Hiccup had arrived at the forge within about thirty minutes. Toothless had hidden himself after a group of Outcast soldiers walked by. The area seemed oddly quiet as Hiccup made his way inside. Once he was inside he immediately went to work on a new connecting rod.

Unfortunately his work didn't last long when he was interrupted by someone approaching the forge.

"And just what are we making, Hiccup?" Savage's voice made him jump in surprise. Hiccup finally looked up to see the older man grinning at him.

"A gift for... Alvin!" Hiccup quickly explained, thinking fast of some kind of excuse. "To thank him for his hospitality."

Suddenly, one of Savage's guards fell on the ground nearby, clutching his knee in pain. Both Hiccup and Savage looked at him in confusion until Alex suddenly came rushing at Savage, dagger in hand. Savage stood there in disbelief, his mouth gaping open when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.

"Oi, you're quite the feisty little girl, aren't you?" he sneered. "I'll have to remember that the next time we're holding you hostage."

Hiccup's fists clenched with fury as more Outcast soldiers surrounded him. They were outnumbered and outmatched. This wasn't going to end well for either of them, and Toothless couldn't find a way through here even if he wanted to.

"You can thank Alvin in person when we're finished with you," Savage added to Hiccup once he was secured.

...

"Where are they? They should've been back by now," Snotlout muttered as he sat on a nearby rock. Snowfire had, luckily, kept mostly to herself. The Jorgenson boy was in no hurry to feel the harsh sting of her tongue. He'd learned all too quickly that it was best not to piss off a White Terror, especially with her rider around.

' _Something is wrong_ ,' Snowfire suddenly growled. Snotlout eyed her in disbelief when he realized that she was speaking to him.

Eventually he decided to go about with Hiccup's idea and build a raft. He doubted Snowfire would let him ride on her back to begin with. Fortunately the construction of the raft didn't take long as he wound the planks of wood together and eyed it proudly. It might not look like the best raft, but at least it would float... right?

"You and Alex aren't the only ones who can come up a good idea, Hiccup. Ha! Ha! Snotlout, Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" he exclaimed, feeling more than happy with himself. Of course he had to stub his toe when Snowfire was watching in amusement. "Good thing they weren't there to see that," he added, wincing in pain.

That's when Toothless arrived. Snowfire was immediately on the defensive, her head raised and wings looking more ruffled than usual. The Night Fury continued nudging and prompting Snotlout to follow him, roaring to catch his attention.

' _I knew it_!' Snowfire's roar of defiance echoed across the beach. The temperature around them had suddenly gotten much colder, and Snotlout shivered against the cold breeze.

"What? Oh, I get it. Something's wrong with Hiccup and Alex," Snotlout realized after understanding what she meant by that. He than glanced at Toothless, already knowing that Snowfire would never allow him to ride her. Without a second thought he mounted the Night Fury.

Fortunately Toothless understood where he was getting at and ran back towards the forge. Snowfire had taken to the sky and kept an eye from above. Toothless was well aware that Alex and Hiccup wouldn't be there, but at least the connecting rod would.

"Hiccup! Alex!" he called out, half expecting to see them waiting there patiently. Snotlout frowned and turned to Toothless after realizing they weren't there. "Stupid dragon, they're not even here!" he grunted before noticing the metal rod Hiccup had left behind. "Hm... this looks familiar," he said to himself. That's when Snotlout suddenly remembered why they'd come here in the first place. He turned around and was ready to fix the Night Fury's tail when suddenly he came face-to-face with an Outcast soldier. "Ah!" Snotlout screamed and scrambled away before the soldier could grab him. Then a couple more showed up. Luckily Snotlout was a pro at fighting, and fought them off with the rod while Toothless fired a plasma blast and whacked them with his tail. Once all the Outcast soldiers were down, Snotlout took the chance to fix Toothless' tail fin. "You know what, Toothless? We make a pretty good team. I might not give you back," Snotlout said after grinning at the Night Fury.

Toothless just rolled his eyes at the human's comment. After listening to him argue all day with his best human friend, there was no way Toothless would ever become partners with Snotlout again after this. For now they needed to work together and rescue their friends.

"I'm kidding," Snotlout reassured him. "Now let's get 'em, Toothless!"

...

Being bored was something I did not enjoy in my life. Especially when we were on our way to meet Alvin again. Savage and his soldiers were leading us on a rocky path to wherever Alvin was waiting. I wasn't looking forward to seeing him again, not after what the bastard had done to me and the dragons. To make matters worse, Savage kept asking why we were here in the first place.

"Stoick wouldn't have sent you two here alone. Where's the rest of your party?" he asked, turning to look at the pair.

"Oh, no. No, it's just us," Hiccup reassured Alvin's highest ranking soldier. "We're just taking a little vacation. Alex and I heard that Outcast Island is beautiful at this time of the year." I didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice, and couldn't help but smirk.

"We just needed a change in scenery," I chimed in, playing along. That was when I noticed the same soldier that Savage had scolded earlier was giving me 'the look'. A shudder ran through me at what was running through the bastard's mind. Hiccup had noticed it too, and immediately fired something I never expected to hear him say.

"I swear by Odin, if you do anything to hurt her, I'll personally cut your throat out, do you hear me?" The soldier in question stared at Hiccup with horrified eyes, and frankly, I couldn't blame him. "I said, do you hear me?" Hiccup repeated himself, the venom in his voice catching everyone off guard.

"I-Yes," the soldier quickly replied after realizing that Hiccup was serious. Even Savage looked a little afraid at Hiccup's dark warning. Without a second thought I grabbed Hiccup's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Hiccup, don't," I whispered softly. "I don't like this side of you." Hiccup looked at me in surprise before nodding in understanding. This kind of behavior reminded me too much of my father, and he was someone I'd rather forget.

"I'm sorry, Alex," he murmured, ashamed that he'd stooped to that level. I couldn't help but blush when he leaned against me, his cheek nuzzling mine. Savage only rolled his eyes at the young couple's affection.

"Anyways, Savage, we'll never train the dragons for you," I put in. "Nor will we ever reveal our secrets."

"Oh, Alvin will get it out of you two," Savage replied with a knowing smirk. "You he can force to bond the dragons with. As for the boy, well, Alvin has his ways. Move!" he shouted before giving us a hard shove.

We were shoved forward, only to trudge along the overpass where Alvin was waiting for us. A shiver ran through me when Alvin eyed us both with a hungry expression.

"Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!" Alvin chuckled upon seeing the two dragon riders.

"I'm confused, is it your birthday or not?" one Outcast soldier asked.

"As far as you're concerned, every day is my birthday," Alvin snapped before yelling loudly at the rest of his men, "Now prepare the dragons, their trainers have arrived!"

I could only glare at Alvin as we were pushed towards him. Just when it seemed like we weren't about to get out of this situation, help arrived. Rocks and boulders were falling down towards the waiting soldiers.

"Run!" one Outcast soldier yelled in alarm.

"Now, Toothless!" Snotlout yelled as the Night Fury charged into battle with him. My eyes widened in amazement when I realized they'd arrived just in time.

"Back the other way!" Savage ordered as he and everyone tried to escape the chaos.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried with joy when Toothless approached him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Snotlout!"

"As usual, I can only rely on myself," Alvin growled after realizing his men had run away.

"Hiccup, Alex!" Snotlout exclaimed, relieved to see that they were both unharmed.

"Are we glad to see you two," I added with a grin.

"Ah, good to see you too. Thank you, bud," Hiccup said, grateful that Toothless had arrived just in time.

"Need some help?" Alvin sneered as he pulled out a crossbow and aimed it at Snotlout.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup called. Luckily, Snotlout ducked just in time. I gave one wave of my hand, and suddenly a blast of flames was fired at Alvin, knocking the crossbow right out of his hand. One familiar roar was all it took for me to know that Snowfire was still with us.

"Yeah, you better run!" Snotlout was laughing as Alvin went scurrying in the opposite direction as she landed in front of Toothless.

' _Foolish hatchlings, you should not have come here alone_ ,' Snowfire growled, angry that we'd put all of our lives at risk.

"Thank you, Snow," I murmured, placing a hand on her snout as she hummed in contentment. Unfortunately, Alvin wasn't finished with us as he ran towards his remaining soldiers.

"Shoot them down! Fire!" Alvin was shouting while Snowfire took into the air along with Toothless.

They both dodged the attacks with ease, and Toothless fired several plasma blasts at Alvin and his men to scare them off. I was more than grateful to get away from that island, and the dark memories it brought back.

...

Once we were a safe distance away from the island, we all cheered.

"Snotlout, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you and Toothless are the heroes this time," I said with a sheepish grin.

"Whoo-hoo!" Hiccup cheered while grinning at his cousin. "Do you realize what we just did?" he asked.

"We totally kicked butt, duh," Snotlout replied.

"Yeah, and we kicked butt together," Hiccup put in.

"You actually worked together, and here I didn't think that was possible," I said cheekily. Snotlout just stuck his tongue out at me.

"Look, Snotlout, I'm—"

"Hungry, right?" Snotlout suddenly chimed in, cutting his cousin off.

"Yeah, exactly," Hiccup laughed in agreement.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever seen the two of you get along since we've met," I suddenly pointed out. "So I think that in itself deserves a celebration. Dinner's on me tonight."

Snotlout gave me a look of surprise. Hey, I knew how to cook. Considering I'd been living on my own now for the last year, I'd had to adapt pretty quickly.

"Sounds like a plan," Hiccup said with a knowing smirk.

"Hey, what's that?" Fishlegs' voice sounded in the distance, he and Meatlug spotting us from not too far away. Astrid narrowed her eyes when she spotted us as well.

"It's Hiccup, and Alex!" she exclaimed, sounding more than relieved.

"And they've picked up a baby seal," Tuffnut said, referring to Snotlout.

"Snotlout!" Fishlegs exclaimed in surprise, the Jorgenson boy giving him a salute. Stoick was more than happy to see us when he approached Snowfire and Toothless.

"Son, you're safe," he sighed in relief.

"We never had a doubt," Gobber added.

"Alex, are you okay?" Jacob asked when Sniper flew in close.

"Never better," I replied with a sheepish grin.

"Hello? Other quarter of the team," Snotlout complained when everyone ignored him. Hookfang than chose that moment to fly right towards his rider, engulfed in flames as he approached. "Hookfang!" he shouted with happiness, jumping onto Hookfang's back. "I'm still mad at you!" he shouted after Hookfang flamed up once again.

Hiccup and I exchanged grins as Snotlout hugged his dragon. Despite his obnoxious behavior, Snotlout had proven himself as a good friend in the end. I'm glad he was on our side, because he'd make one hell of an enemy.

Sometimes the last person you want to rely on is the one person you get stuck with, and being stuck with Snotlout was no picnic. But who knew where we would have been had it not been for his help? Sometimes life worked out in mysterious ways.

* * *

 **AN: I only just realized that my chapters have a tendency to sound alike when they first start out ^^ Anywho, this one was a little challenging to write, but I still had fun with it nonetheless. Hopefully there weren't too many mistakes.**

 **Sil - It was a well deserved one :P And don't worry, you're not the only one who does.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Actually that's part of the reason why I love Dagur so much. He reminds me of Cyrus from Tron: Uprising. Both characters are great, and I love having someone to hate XD And yeah, the second season is pretty awesome... I haven't seen all of the episodes yet, but I've seen enough to know that it is.**

 **The Silent Fury - I feel like all twins just love to argue and finish each others sentences. It just makes things all the more entertaining :P**


	29. Breakneck Bog

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

We all have had things that we've lost and thought we could never live without. Sometimes to find it again you have to be willing to do anything. Even if that means looking fear right in the eye. Just make sure you don't blink.

Stoick and Gobber were riding on Thornado, flying away from Berk. Hiccup and I flew behind them on Toothless and Snowfire. As we flew over the ocean, I noticed that Stoick kept looking over the ocean for signs of life.

"Where is he?" Stoick asked Gobber. "He's never been this late before."

"Are you sure Trader Johann has it?" Gobber asked skeptically.

"I'm sure," Stoick replied in a firm tone. "I heard it from Trader Johann, who heard it from Stevenson the Shepard, who talked to Toldstadt the Fisher, who said he saw Johann put it in the boat himself."

"Well it doesn't get anymore sure than that," Gobber said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know, it might help if we actually knew what we were looking for," I pointed out as Snowfire crooned in agreement.

"Yeah, why are we being kept in the dark?" Hiccup asked.

"We're looking for Trader Johann," Stoick replied. "That's all you need to know." Snowfire only rolled her eyes at the response. She was clearly annoyed for getting her sleep disturbed, and of course this long flight wasn't making things much easier.

' _This search is pointless_ ,' she muttered crossly. Fortunately we turned back towards Berk after flying around a few more minutes. Once we landed on the docks, Stoick got off of Thornado and looked on in disappointment.

"Not to worry, old friend," Gobber said reassuringly. "It'll arrive safely, and in good time."

Hiccup looked at Toothless before glancing at me. "Come on, we're going on a little field trip," he said with a grin.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," I replied with a smirk. Snowfire narrowed her eyes in annoyance when she realized where this was going.

' _Am I not allowed to have proper rest_?' she demanded as we headed to the arena.

Once we reached the arena Hiccup started packing some smoked salmon into the saddles while I grabbed water to take on the trip. We weren't sure how long the trip would be. I always say it's better to be prepared and safe than sorry. Fortunately, Hiccup's a good listener.

"Alright, we'll start at the west islands and work our way back," Hiccup explained.

"Back from where?" I looked up in time to see Astrid and Stormfly fly down to join us.

"Uh, just a quick spin around the island," Hiccup replied.

"You might as well tell the truth," I whispered when he looked at me skeptically. "You're a terrible liar," I added with a grin.

"She's right, especially since you're bringing enough food for Snotlout's whole family for a quick spin," Astrid replied after pulling out the food from Hiccup's satchel. And right on cue Snotlout joined us on Hookfang.

"Do I hear my name? Is Astrid finally admitting that she needs me?" Both Hiccup and I smirked when Astrid punched Snotlout right up the nose.

"Even if I _did_ need help, the last person I would ask for help is _you_ ," she snapped before Snotlout grabbed the smoked salmon she was holding.

"All right," Hiccup sighed. "Look, if you must know…"

"And they must," I cut in with a shrug.

"I'm going to do something for my father, and Alex is helping me," he went on. The two of them just looked at him, knowing there was more. "Okay, Trader Johann is bringing something for him. Something important and he should have been here by now.

"You're not trading this fish, are you?" Snotlout asked with a mouthful of fish. "Because it's delicious." Hookfang than came out of nowhere and ate the fish right from his hands. "Hey!" Snotlout snapped his fingers and Hookfang regurgitated the fish into his waiting hand. I had to look away in disgust when Snotlout ate it.

"When do we leave?" Astrid asked.

"Only me and Alex are going," Hiccup replied with a shake of his head. "If we all disappear, my dad might get suspicious."

"Go alone? You? Without us?" Snotlout started laughing. "Like you could handle anything if we weren't there to bail you—" He started choking on his salmon after laughing so much. This time it was my turn to laugh when Astrid punched him in the stomach. "—Out," he finished in a wheezing voice.

"Don't you think your dad will get suspicious if you _and_ Alex are gone?" Astrid asked with a raised eyebrow. Hiccup and I exchanged looks when she asked that. I hadn't even thought of it. But Stoick had never gotten suspicious before, as far as I was concerned.

"We should be fine," Hiccup replied. Astrid just folded her arms and rolled her eyes. Finally Hiccup groaned in annoyance before changing plans, "Alright, you two can come, but that's it. Don't even tell the others. Heed my warning. I am serious."

A few minutes passed before we took off flying. Needless to say, Hiccup was not happy. Snotlout and Astrid flew behind us while Hiccup took the lead. And it didn't take long for news to spread like wildfire among the teens.

"Hey Hiccup?" a voice asked from behind. Hiccup turned in time to see Ruffnut and Tuffnut flying on Barf and Belch. Sure enough Meatlug and Fishlegs were there too. "Snotlout told us that there would be smoked salmon, and I love lox." Hiccup sighed and looked over at Snotlout.

"I'm pretty sure I said, 'Don't tell the others'," he groaned.

"And where's Jacob?" I asked after realizing that he wasn't with them.

"He stayed behind, said that he could buy us time while we're gone," Astrid replied with a shrug.

"And I'm pretty sure I didn't listen to you," Snotlout retorted, referring to Hiccup's statement.

"Hiccup, aren't you always saying that it's better when we work as a team?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yeah, next time I say that, slap me in the face," Hiccup muttered.

"I'll do it right now!" Ruffnut volunteered.

"She will," Tuffnut added. "And she slaps just like a guy! It's awesome. Watch." Ruffnut eagerly slapped him across the face. "Yeah!"

"Hey, look!" Astrid yelled, pointing ahead.

"At what? I can't see anything past these tears," Tuffnut replied.

We all looked in that direction. And sure enough there was what looked like the remains of a boat. My eyes narrowed when I saw a familiar figure laying unconscious on a wooden plank.

"Is that…. Johann?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"I thought he had a ship bigger than that," Snotlout added.

"Come on gang, let's go check it out."

We flew down as Toothless grabbed Johann with his talons, before heading off to somewhere safe we could land. Something told me that nothing good could come out of this. Moments later and we reached a rocky island. Johann was awake now and shook nervously.

"The fog… The fog…" Johann started stuttering on his words.

"Is he alright?" Hiccup looked at the group for anything helpful. Trader Johann was looking off in the distance, with wide, terrified eyes. Either he was just having a daymare (which could happen), or he saw something traumatic.

"Physically I'd say he's fine," I replied after giving him a thorough check. "But mentally… It's like something spooked the heck out of him."

"Well, let's see if he can answer some questions," Astrid suggested.

"Johann, where's your ship?" Hiccup asked.

"No idea," Johann replied rather quickly. "All I know is one minute I was sailing in perfectly calm sea, the wind at my back. And the next thing I know, my entire ship is pulled out from under me and I'm shark bait!"

"I don't understand." Hiccup shook his head in confusion.

"I do. I was three days late and trying to make up time, and I got too close," Johann explained, still jittery as ever.

"Too close to what?" Fishlegs asked.

"Too close to…" Trader Johann paused as if the word was a vial thing. "… Breakneck Bog."

"Breakneck Bog?" we all asked at the same time.

"Uh, quick question, what _is_ Breakneck Bog?" I asked this time.

There were still so many things I needed to learn. Like the islands around Berk. And the names of said islands. Maybe it was time to hit the library again for a quick geography lesson.

"Many a ship has sailed through its waters," Fishlegs explained in a nervous voice. "Few have returned."

"My grandfather told me that it's pirates," Astrid added.

"That's ridiculous," Snotlout scoffed. "Everyone knows that it's haunted by a giant fog monster."

"Fog monster?" Now Fishlegs was really getting scared.

"The legend says the fog monster makes this really creepy moan," Tuffnut said. I rolled my eyes when he started moaning. Fishlegs was already jumpy enough. "Then, he surrounds you and scrapes the skin off your bones." Fishlegs shrieked after that. "And then he scrapes the bones off of whatever's under those."

"And then it drops the bones from the sky," Ruffnut added.

"Yes. It's true what they says. It-it surrounded me!" Johann stammered once again.

"See?" Snotlout asked with a smirk. "Fog monsters? Pirates?" He chuckled as Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Stupid grandfather."

"There's obviously no such thing as a fog monster," I muttered with another roll of my eyes.

Though I wouldn't admit that this 'fog monster' sounded a lot like ghosts. Now those, I _did_ believe in. I blame it on too much television in my world. Watched too many paranormal shows about ghost hunters trying to prove their existence.

"So you don't believe in ghosts or monsters?" Snotlout asked as if I was crazy. Which I probably was.

"Of course not," I replied in a firm tone.

"You wanna bet?" All I did was fold my arms and glare.

"Guys, enough with the fog monster," Hiccup muttered and headed over to Johann. "Johann, we need to find your ship. There's something on it for my father."

"Yes, yes, yes, there was," Johann replied with a nod. Then he looked up at Hiccup. "But it wasn't for your father. It was meant for you."

"For me?" Hiccup asked in confusion. "From who?"

"He didn't tell you?" Trader Johann looked at him in surprise. "It was from your mother." Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief.

"My mother?" He nearly choked on those words.

"That's impossible!" Astrid exclaimed.

"No wonder Stoick was so desperate to get it back," I murmured with a shake of my head.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"I have no idea, lad," Johann replied. "I just know that it's a large chest with the Berk crest on it."

Sudden understanding lit in my eyes. That would explain why Stoick wanted to keep it a secret. He was probably hoping to surprise Hiccup with the chest. It made me realize just how much I missed my own mom.

"I have to find it. Take us back there. You show us where you lost your ship," Hiccup ordered.

"No!" Johann suddenly cried, crawling away from Hiccup. "No, I won't! You can't make me!" He started getting up as obvious fear showed in his eyes. "I have a knife in me boot!" The twins looked at Johann excitedly when he said that. "Okay, I don't have a knife in me boot," he muttered. The twins looked away in disappointment, as if the idea of something sharp would make this trip more exciting. "But no more fog, please!"

"Alright," Hiccup sighed in annoyance. "Just tell me how to find Breakneck bog."

"Head due east," Johann replied all too eagerly. "There's a group of island shaped like a man's hand. Breakneck bog is the thumb."

"Snotlout, you and the twins take him back to Berk." Snotlout looked at Hiccup in annoyance after hearing that.

"Back to Berk? With this clown and those clowns?" he asked, pointing to Johann and the twins.

"Would you look at him? We don't have a choice," Hiccup replied while gesturing to a trembling Johann. "And if anything happens, you'll be glad to have them with you," he added to Johann.

"Question," Fishlegs piped up. "Where are the rest of us going?"

"Breakneck bog," I replied as Hiccup nodded in agreement. Fishlegs whimpered at the name.

...

Once Snotlout and the twins had taken Johann back to Berk, we headed out to Breakneck bog. As we flew Fishlegs tried changing Hiccup's mind. I've known Hiccup only for a year now, but I already knew that once his mind was up, it was almost impossible to change.

"What if I gave you something from my mother?" Fishlegs asked in a pleading tone. "Or I could _give_ you my mother. You know you love her crab cakes." I rolled my eyes once again at the desperation in Fishlegs' voice.

' _The fog_! _The fog_!' Snowfire suddenly started chanting. I tried not to smirk as Astrid flew in closer and did the same. Fishlegs only jumped at the sound of their voices, looking even more nervous, if that was possible.

"Tears, guys," Fishlegs muttered. "Is that what you want to see?"

"Look, there it is!" Hiccup exclaimed, pointing ahead. Sure enough the islands actually did look like someone's hand. It even had five smaller islands that looked like the fingers of a hand.

"Breakneck bog," Fishlegs breathed.

We flew down to the island that looked like the thumb. Once we landed on the island we saw nothing that looked like Johann's ship. Though it didn't help that the island was rather large. With lots of dead and eerie looking trees.

"I don't get it," Hiccup murmured. "We flew all around the island. No ship."

"Not even the remains of a ship," I added.

"You know what would take a ship?" Fishlegs asked nervously. "A fog monster."

' _There is no such thing as a fog monster_ ,' Snowfire snapped with a roll of her eyes. That was when a moan sounded coming from the forest.

"Then what was that?" Fishlegs asked.

"Probably just the wind," I suggested with a shrug.

"Only one way to find out," Hiccup said. With that being said, we walked through the forest. I may have been terrified when I first woke up in this world, but in my defense I had no idea where I was, and I was alone. But this was nothing compared to that.

"Wait a minute!" Fishlegs called and looked at us like we were crazy. "You don't go towards the weird, crazy sound."

"Yeah we do," Astrid replied in an eerie voice. "We always do." She was loving this. I could see the grin in her eyes as she walked confidently ahead. Fishlegs just whimpered a little more before following us.

"I hate that about us," he murmured.

"Ah come on, Fishlegs," I nudged him playfully as we walked further ahead. "You're not afraid of a little old ghost story, are you?"

"Ghost stories, no. But monsters, yes," Fishlegs replied.

I tried not to laugh at the look he gave me as the dragons joined us. Snowfire walked behind me, keeping an eye out for danger with Toothless close behind Hiccup. Then Fishlegs stopped in his tracks when he saw something under his feet.

"Ugh. Bones. That's just perfect," Fishlegs groaned.

' _They would be better with meat on them_ ,' Snowfire hummed after giving them a sniff. I patted her on the shoulder as we walked ahead.

Astrid was leading the group when suddenly Stormfly grabbed her and pulled her away. My eyes widened in horror as an axe flew down where Astrid had been seconds ago. Following where the axe had fallen, I looked on in surprise at the sight of Johann's ship. To everyone's surprise it was stuck in a tree.

"Trader Johann's ship," I whispered in amazement.

"Wow, he really got off course," Hiccup said with the slightest smirks.

"Yeah, no kidding," Astrid added.

"Fog monster," Fishlegs suddenly chimed in. We all just stared at him with blank looks.

"Let's get up there," Hiccup said, getting on Toothless.

' _Something is not right_ ,' Snowfire suddenly growled.

"Come on," I sighed as I climbed into her saddle. We flew up to the ship, but none of the other dragons would move any closer. Instead they flew off until they were a safe distance away from the ship.

"They're afraid," Fishlegs said. "And they're dragons. So we should be asking ourselves, what are we doing?"

"They're not afraid," Astrid muttered in annoyance.

"He's right. The ship isn't going to hold them," Hiccup explained. "We have to jump down and send our dragons below."

"Great. That's just perfect," Fishlegs groaned.

' _Be careful, little one_ ,' Snowfire told me with a nudge. I nodded before jumping down onto the ship, just as Hiccup and Astrid did the same. We landed without a problem, but Fishlegs had crashed right on to the ship. While Astrid helped Fishlegs up, Hiccup turned to look at Toothless while I gave the signal.

"Ground." The one good thing about being able to bond with dragons; they actually listened to you. Even without the use of hand signals. Fortunately the dragons all landed on the ground just after Hiccup had signaled for Toothless to do the same.

"Stay where you can hear daddy," Fishlegs called over the ship's ledge.

"Okay, so let's just find this thing and get out of here," Hiccup said after looking back at us. "We're looking for a chest with the Berk crest on it." Then suddenly a bone landed on the deck in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Uh, care to explain that?" Fishlegs asked after nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Wish we could," I muttered as more bones began to fall.

"Everyone below deck!" Astrid cried as she took cover. We all ran for the deck down below until the bones had stopped falling.

"Now I know what it's like to be in a horror movie." Everyone gave me weird looks when I said that.

"Ah. It's just a little… bone shower," Hiccup tried reasoning, though even I could see the doubt in his eyes. "And it passed."

"Bone shower?" Fishlegs repeated, looking at us in disbelief. "Am I the only one who thinks that's weird?"

"Um…" Astrid started raising her hand while I just shrugged. Honestly, after waking up in this world it wasn't the craziest thing I've heard.

"Eh, okay, it's a little weird," Hiccup muttered. That was when we heard scraping from above deck. My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound. This was exactly what happened in those ghost hunting shows. Weird, unexplained noises and shadowy mists appearing out of nowhere. God I hoped this wasn't the case.

"So is that," Fishlegs said in a whisper.

"Maybe it's just a bird," I whispered in a hopeful voice. The scraping suddenly got louder. "A very big bird."

"Okay, let's just start looking for the chest, quickly," Hiccup said. "That really doesn't sound like friendly scraping."

We all went off in different directions to look through Trader Johann's stuff. Astrid and I were sorting through the objects while Fishlegs had backed into a wall, trembling with fear. Seconds later and he let out a scream.

The two of us looked up from our work to see that Fishlegs had backed into a skeletal hand. I was struggling not to laugh when I saw the look of horror on his face. Fishlegs wasn't the really best choice for a mission like this. But he had better control over his attitude than Snotlout or the twins.

"Fishlegs, I found it," Hiccup announced. Sure enough he was holding on to a small wooden chest. The crest of Berk was smack on the middle of it.

"Oh, thank Thor," Fishlegs sighed in relief. "There was a hand. No Skin. All scrapped off."

"Fishlegs, I'm sure that it was nothing serious," I tried reassuring him. And of course that's when the footsteps sounded heavier, and the moans started.

"Uh, Alex, can I ask you something?" Fishlegs asked nervously.

"Sure." This was getting a bit unnerving. Knowing that something big and dangerous was up there left my mind reeling with unease.

"Did you ever hear your imagination walking and moaning?" Fishlegs' question made me look at him in annoyance.

"Well, when I was younger I used to," I replied with another shrug. This time I did laugh at the look Fishlegs gave me. "Okay, joking. No, I really hope we don't have to see it."

"It's coming after us!" Astrid suddenly yelled in alarm.

"Hide!" Hiccup whispered. Fortunately we found a nearby closet to hide in. It was big enough for all of us to fit in, and once Fishlegs had run inside, I closed the door just enough that we could peer through the crack. "Nobody… breathe."

We all held our breaths as the creature got closer. By now I had to fully close the door as it got closer.

"I just want you to know that I love you guys," Fishlegs whispered. We all gave him strange looks as he shrunk back. Then the closet suddenly opened. I think my heart nearly stopped for a second when everyone screamed.

Fortunately it didn't last long when they realized who had opened the door. Snotlout was standing in front of us, wearing some kind of necklace. Tuffnut was holding a skeletal hand that scared Fishlegs even more.

"Hey guys, need a hand?" Tuffnut asked with a chuckle. Astrid growled before jumping onto Tuffnut, pinning him to the floor. She then grabbed the skeletal hand he was holding and slapped him with it. "Ruffnut, do something!" he called for help. I was smothering my laughter as Ruffnut did do something. She grabbed the hand from Astrid and started slapping her brother.

"All right, all right, break it up, you guys," Hiccup said. Ruffnut looked up in surprise while Astrid took the hand and slapped Tuffnut one last time. Hiccup then turned towards Snotlout. "So let me get this straight, this was all you. The bones, the scraping?"

"That's right," Snotlout replied with a laugh. "And this was all you. Ooh! Ah! Eek!" I grabbed the skeletal hand from Astrid and slapped Snotlout across the face.

"You nearly gave us heart attacks," I snapped.

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup demanded after muttering under his breath about not believing what he was hearing. "What were you _thinking_?" Snotlout was still rubbing his nose after I tossed the hand aside before he spoke again.

"That I was going to make you pay for sticking me with Trader Johann," he retorted.

"Where is he?" Hiccup asked.

"Don't worry about him. He's fine," Snotlout replied.

"So you took him back to Berk?" I asked.

"Not… exactly."

"Just so you know, I'm not forgetting this," Astrid said in a dangerously low voice. She picked up the skeletal hand before pointing it at Snotlout's fresh bruise mark.

"And I'll make sure Snowfire doesn't either," I added with a smirk.

"Also, what's with that stupid necklace?" Astrid asked.

"You likey?" Snotlout asked. "Yeah, a little something I found above deck," he explained. "I can grab one for you if you want."

Suddenly the ship began to shake, and the branches holding it snapped. All of us were lifted off our feet as we screamed. Basically it was like being on a ride at the carnival. Only this had no protection as it landed on the ground with a massive thud. I held back a groan as I struggled back to my feet.

"Is everyone okay?" Hiccup asked.

"Define okay?" I muttered crossly. Then a moan sounded; and of course it sounded like it was coming towards us.

"Run!" We all ran up towards the hatch that led to the upper deck. Once we were out a fog began to pour into the ship.

"Just so you know, this fog, is not us," Snotlout said as we started to group together.

"For once, I wish it was," I replied.

"Okay, I'll admit it. Starting to come around to the fog monster theory," Hiccup said with equal fear and uneasiness.

Then the fog covered us as we all screamed. Once the fog dissolved I spotted Fishlegs clinging on to Snotlout's back for dear life. Snotlout looked at him with a disappointing scowl. "H-Hi," Fishlegs stammered before Snotlout threw him off his back.

"We're alive, right?" Ruffnut asked. Tuffnut flicked his finger at her. "Ow!" Ruffnut proceeded to punching her brother in the stomach.

"Can we please get out of here now?" I asked as my nerves started to crack. This place was freaking everyone out. Then I noticed that the chest Hiccup was holding earlier was gone.

"Wait. The chest, it – it's gone! I just had it!" he gasped.

"Too bad, so sad. See you back on Berk," Tuffnut replied as he, his sister, Fishlegs and Snotlout headed for their dragons.

"Meatlug, oh! Oh, I missed you, Meatlug!" Fishlegs sighed in relief after climbing onto Meatlug's back. "Don't worry. Daddy's taking you home."

Just as they started heading out, we got above deck to watch them leave.

"You guys go on. I have to find that chest," Hiccup told us.

"Do what you got to do. See you when we see you," Snotlout replied quickly.

"Hold on guys, that chest is from his mom," I reminded them.

"Yeah, touching story. Gotta go," Tuffnut said.

"Put yourselves in his shoes," Astrid snapped.

"Shoe," Snotlout pointed out.

"Whatever," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. "The point is, I know what it's like losing my mother. How would you feel if it was yours?" That made them stop in their tracks. They thought about what I said before glaring at me.

"I hate you," Snotlout muttered crossly. Then he looked at Hiccup. "This does not mean we're really friends," he added.

"Thank you, guys. I mean it," Hiccup replied with a smile. I hadn't missed the look of surprise he gave me when I mentioned my own mom. "Now let's go find that fog monster."

...

All of us were searching for the fog monster now. Something told me that there was more to it than that though. Snowfire had already warned us that something wasn't right. That there was something else involved with the ship's wreckage.

"There it is!" Astrid exclaimed, pointing towards something moving down below.

I leaned forward and sure enough, there was a fog monster down below. But something was odd about the way it moved. For starters it was moving way too fast to be ordinary fog. And it was moving in an odd way, almost like something or someone was controlling it's direction.

"Is it just me, or does fog not move like that at all?" Hiccup asked after watching it too.

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't," I replied with a shake of my head. This didn't make any sense. We flew closer to the fog when it suddenly split in two.

"There's two of them?" Snotlout yelled.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called, pointing to the right.

"On it!"

Astrid then flew towards the right, with Snotlout and the twins following her. Fishlegs and I flew with Hiccup as we chased the fog monster on the left. It wasn't long before we lost sight of it. Astrid's group had disappeared into a canyon before emerging on the other side.

"We lost it," Hiccup said when we met up again.

"So did we," Astrid replied in a grim voice. We landed on the ground below, but Snowfire was still uncomfortable with her surroundings.

' _We should not be here_ ,' she suddenly hissed.

"Easy, we don't know what's out there," I murmured while patting her on the shoulder.

' _Which is exactly why we should not be here_ ,' she retorted, this time looking at me in annoyance. ' _Why do you hatchlings never listen_?' I was ready to argue when Tuffnut cut me off.

"Uh, it didn't lose us," he announced while looking ahead.

I followed what he was looking at to see the fog headed right for our direction. Once it got close enough the fog began to surround us. Snowfire let out another growl before flying up to flap her wings.

"What are they doing?" Ruffnut asked.

"They're leaving us," Tuffnut replied.

"I knew Hookfang never liked me," Snotlout whimpered.

' _This is no ordinary fog_ ,' Snowfire warned me as the fog began to dissolve.

"They're not going anywhere," I reassured them after realizing what the dragons were doing.

"Alex is right; they're just blowing the fog away," Hiccup said when he noticed what I was looking at.

Once the fog had dissolved we found ourselves surrounded by small smoky gray dragons. What surprised me the most though was that smoke was frothing from their mouths. They were not happy that we had invaded their territory. Now I suddenly understood why Snowfire was so worried.

"They're dragons," Astrid whispered in amazement.

"Yeah, angry ones," Snotlout added as the little dragon hissed angrily at him.

"That's because we're on their territory," I couldn't help but say. "That's what Snowfire was trying to tell me."

' _And as usual you would not listen_ ,' she muttered crossly.

"Well, look on the bright side, Fishlegs. No fog monster," Hiccup said in a sheepish voice.

"I feel so much better now," Fishlegs replied, sounding more anxious than ever now.

"So, how exactly are we going to deal with these guys?" I asked as one of them looked curiously at me.

"What are those things?" Ruffnut asked as the dragon looking at me broke it's concentration.

"They must have created the fog to look like some kind of menacing monster to scare predators away," Hiccup explained.

"They're like smoky dragon pirates without the eye patches," Tuffnut chimed in.

"Smothering Smokebreath dragons," Fishlegs suddenly gasped. We all gave him weird looks at that. "What?"

"You knew about these things?" Snotlout demanded angrily.

"Well I read about them," Fishlegs replied, holding his hands up in defense. "I didn't believe they actually existed!"

"Kind of like the White Terror," I said with a smirk.

"And you went with fog monster instead?" Astrid asked in disbelief.

"Guys, can we talk about this later?" Hiccup muttered. He then turned back to Fishlegs, "What else did the book say?"

"They hide themselves in a veil of smoke…" Fishlegs began. He started counting on his fingers at the things Snowfire had already pointed out, "They're very territorial and…" He paused after giving it some thought before looking at us with worry. "Uh, I forget the third thing."

At that moment the Smothering Smokebreath dragons attacked. Hiccup hopped onto Toothless as he began firing plasma blasts at them. Snowfire swatted a few away with her tail while another tried jumping at me. Fortunately, much to my surprise, they didn't attack. Instead they gave me a cautious sniff before attacking the others. Astrid was wrestling with one until Stormfly managed to whack it away with her tail. Hookfang was firing a stream of flames at them to keep them away. Two Smothering Smokebreaths had grabbed Tuffnut by the arms and tried dragging him away. Barf and Belch pulled him by the legs and dragged him back down.

Snotlout and Fishlegs tried running away, but the Smothering Smokebreaths only blocked their paths. They flew back down to join the others.

"There's too many of them, let's fall back!" Hiccup yelled as they started surrounding us.

"Uh… Fall back where?" Tuffnut asked.

"Give us a fire line!"

"Don't have to ask us twice." Barf shot out some gas and Belch sparked it shortly after, creating a wall of flames that covered the Smothering Smokebreaths in smoke. While they were distracted we took the chance to fly off until we were at a safe distance.

"What are we doing?" Fishlegs yelled. "Why are we still here?"

"I can't leave here without that chest," Hiccup insisted.

"You don't even know if they have it!" Snotlout retorted.

' _They do_ ,' Snowfire said with narrowed eyes. I followed her gaze and watched as the Smothering Smokebreaths carried Trader Johann's anchor away. They then flew into a cave in the cliff wall.

"I have a pretty good idea," Hiccup said after watching them. "Let's get a closer look."

Moments later and we were back at the canyon where we first saw them. It didn't take me long to understand why the dragons had taken the anchor. My guess was they liked taking metal. Kind of like a certain Steel type Pokemon I used to love.

"Fishlegs? Anything else you'd like to share with us?" Hiccup asked after looking over his shoulder.

"Unfortunately yes. The third thing: The Smothering Smokebreaths build their nests out of metallic objects," Fishlegs explained.

"Well, wouldn't surprise me," I muttered with a shrug. "In my world there are legends about dragons protecting gold and other types of treasure."

"Do you think there's any treasure in there?" Snotlout asked in excitement.

"Don't get any ideas," Astrid snapped.

"I wish I could see in there," Hiccup sighed.

"Yeah you do," Tuffnut replied. I rolled my eyes as he laughed, holding on to a spyglass.

"Where'd you get that?" Hiccup asked.

"Duh. From the ship or whatever that was in the tree," Tuffnut explained as if it were obvious.

Hiccup snatched the spyglass out of his hands and groaned in annoyance. A moment of awkward silence followed as he watched what they were doing. I could barely see, but it looked like they were melting the metal together into one giant nest.

"They're melting them all together," Hiccup explained after observing them for a while. Then he noticed something in the distance. "The chest! It's in there! We've got to get them away from that pile of loot."

"Maybe we could lure them away," I suggested.

"With what?" Hiccup asked. We then heard Snotlout whistling as he tried polishing his necklace.

"Ooh, shiny," he marveled at his work. Snotlout stopped when he realized we were watching with grins on our faces; he let out a nervous laugh. "What?"

It took a lot of convincing to throw Snotlout into the line of fire. Thankfully Astrid and I managed to ware him down before he jumped out into the open. The one thing we had in common: We both hated Snotlout's obnoxiousness.

"Here, dragons! I've got something for you! Over here. Come get it!" Snotlout shouted, waving his arms like a madman. The Smothering Smokebreaths started chasing after him as he fled out of the cave. "I'm going to make Hiccup eat that chest!" I heard him mutter once he left.

"Quickly, those things will be done with Snotlout any second now," Hiccup advised.

Astrid and I followed Hiccup as we flew towards the cave on our dragons. Unfortunately Snowfire didn't make things any easier as she looked around warily.

' _This place is not safe_ ,' she muttered after observing her surroundings. We hovered there and waited as Hiccup climbed on the metal that was welded together by the Smothering Smokebreaths. It amazed me that they knew how to do that.

"Uh, guys, they're coming," Astrid warned us as she kept lookout.

"Hiccup, look out!" I called as the Smothering Smokebreaths surrounded us. Hiccup had managed to grab the chest, but the Smothering Smokebreaths had already caught up with him.

"Toothless!" he yelled. Toothless jumped up and used his wings to blow the smoke away once more. Once Hiccup had climbed onto Toothless we searched for an opening in the cave.

"Hiccup! Don't leave me!" Snotlout's voice cried. I turned just in time to see Snotlout getting pinned down by a couple of Smothering Smokebreaths. This time I had to laugh when they tried welding down the necklace he still wore.

"Great," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Toothless, plasma blast." Toothless turned around and fired several plasma blasts that scared away the Smothering Smokebreaths, causing them to scatter. Once Snotlout was on Toothless' back they headed for the exit once more.

Of course Snotlout would still have the necklace. That's what they were after as they followed. One of them had even tried grabbing it from Snotlout's neck.

"Snotlout, would you give up the necklace already?" I demanded in a groan.

"No! It's my shiny," Snotlout replied defensively.

"Well, it's you or your shiny!" Hiccup snapped.

Snotlout looked back at the Smothering Smokebreaths before taking off his necklace. At last they grabbed it and flew back into the cave. My shoulders sagged in relief once they were gone.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted. Hookfang flew down and grabbed him before throwing him into the air. Snotlout landed on his neck without a hitch.

We kept on flying, but of course the Smothering Smokebreaths continued following us. "Anything you have that's metal, throw it!" Astrid ordered.

Everyone had thrown their weapons down as the Smokebreaths caught them. I was still trying to figure out how they managed to hide it all. Luckily that was enough to draw them away as they retreated back to their cave. Snotlout looked over his shoulder one last time and looked relieved.

"We did it!" he shouted. That was when I noticed too late the Smokebreath flying straight for Hiccup. It didn't take me long to realize why.

"Hiccup!" I cried.

Hiccup noticed it as well, but by than it was too late. The Smothering Smokebreath had caught up with him, and latched on to his prosthetic leg. I couldn't help but wince as it yanked his leg from the stirrup, causing Toothless to fall in a deadly spiral nosedive.

Fortunately Fishlegs had come in out of nowhere on Meatlug. The Smothering Smokebreath was sent flying into a wall when Meatlug slammed into it, freeing Hiccup's leg.

"You will not haunt my dreams!" Fishlegs shouted after the retreating dragon. "Because I'll never sleep again," he quietly added.

' _It's about time we leave_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we headed for Berk, this time with the chest.

...

"I was afraid that I might forget her," Hiccup admitted as we flew side by side. It was later that evening when Hiccup discovered what was in that chest. And much to my surprise it was a stuffed dragon. A stuffed dragon that his mother had made.

"You're mother would be proud of you," I said with a smile. Hiccup looked stunned at my remark, but than a smile spread across his face. We flew on through the night, for once happy about what may lie ahead.

Most people are afraid of things they don't understand. For me, it was the fear of losing everyone I cared about. But I knew that deep down, they were safe. My heart belonged in two worlds, and for that I considered myself lucky. I had no regrets in choosing this world over mine.

* * *

 **AN: There's the next chapter! Sorry for the long delay, we just went through Snowmegedon, and it was loads of fun XD Over thirty inches of snow here in PA, and that's just in the mid-eastern part. Prayers for those who had more, and are enjoying the snow, and to the people of Alaska who woke up to that nasty earthquake!**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Don't you just love original content? I love adding different things to the story.**

 **Wild Cat 24 - Gotta love it! And thanks, I'm glad everyone loved it :)**

 **The Silent Fury - Yep, love always finds a way to pull through ;) And Snotlout and Hiccup actually getting along... Didn't think that was possible!**


	30. Gem of a Different Color

**Chapter Thirty**

I've learned in a short time that Vikings were strong, tough and courageous. Many were born with it. For some, including me, it's a never-ending struggle, and for others, they just don't know enough to be afraid.

We were gathered in the arena, learning hand-to-hand combat with Gobber as our teacher. Fortunately I'd learned a few moves or two over the years. Astrid had been teaching me some self defense when no one was looking.

The twins were first, and they were both holding a shield. Ruffnut was the first to charge forward and attack. As usual she began whacking Tuffnut with her own shield. After a few powerful swings, she was able to knock her brother off his feet and send the shield he was holding right out of his hand.

"As I have said a million times, and as Ruffnut demonstrated so splendidly, the shield can be your most important weapon," Gobber explained after taking Ruffnut's shield and showing it off. "Who's next?"

"Hold on," Tuffnut said as he started getting up. "I don't get to hit her back?"

"On your own time," Gobber replied with a knowing look. He then turned to Hiccup and Astrid. "Hiccup, Astrid."

Watching Hiccup and Astrid spar was pretty hilarious. The eager look on her face told me everything I needed to know. Hiccup, however, didn't seem all too happy with the idea of fighting her.

"Lord have mercy on Hiccup's soul," Jacob muttered under his breath.

I couldn't help but smirk as Astrid punched her fist into the palm of her other hand.

"Well, I don't think it's really fair for me to be fighting—"

He never got the chance to finish that sentence when a kick was sent in his way. He dodged her right hook and flipped her over his shoulder. He spun around and smiled triumphantly until Astrid tackled him to the ground and pinned him down.

"When you're in a situation like this, it's best to remain calm, and take deep breaths," Gobber told everyone. Hiccup gave him a look that said he couldn't do that. "When that's not an option, I would advise playing dead." Hiccup groaned and remained motionless. "Just like that. Well done, Hiccup. Good form, Astrid."

"You okay?" I asked after Astrid got off Hiccup.

"Never better," he grumbled while rubbing his shoulder. "Shoulder should pop back into place in no time."

"Alright, Alex, Jacob, why don't you show this lot what fighting is like from your world?" Gobber asked, causing us both to stiffen uneasily. Jacob especially looked nervous; he'd never really been in a real fight.

"Can you try and take it easy on me?" he asked sheepishly as I circled him. I only rolled my eyes at that before suddenly kicking him in the shin. Jacob held back a cry of surprise as I took advantage of his shock and wrapped my arms around him in a choke-hold. "Uncle, uncle!" he managed to wheeze just as I released him.

"Whoa, remind me not to get on your bad side," Hiccup said as Jacob held his hands out in defeat.

"I don't have a bad side," I replied with a grin. Jacob just stuck his tongue out at me after recovering from his defeat.

"Not bad," Gobber told us, looking mildly impressed. "Snotlout, Fishlegs, let's see what you've got."

"Whoo! I think we all know what I've got. Snotlout, Snotlout, oy! Oy! Oy!" Snotlout cheered.

"Yeah, an overly large ego," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Both Hiccup and I smirked in agreement. If there was one thing that would never get old, it was Snotlout's ego. He was definitely looking forward to giving poor Fishlegs a knuckle sandwich. I'm amazed the guy has survived as long as he has with a dragon, especially one like Hookfang.

"Fishlegs, don't be shy. Vikings can't rely on dragons alone to protect them," Gobber ordered. To my surprise, I didn't see Meatlug sitting between Snowfire and Toothless like usual. In fact, Fishlegs was nowhere to be seen either. "Thoughts on Fishlegs' whereabouts? Anyone?"

"Doesn't look like Fishlegs is around," I murmured, wondering where he'd wandered off to this time.

Fishlegs had this uncanny sense of looking for any excuse to get out of combat practice. Even Hiccup was willing to learn how to defend himself in a fight. I just couldn't see Fishlegs doing the same.

"Oh, looks like _Fishbone_ is too much of a chicken to take on me," Snotlout boasted with a huge grin.

I only rolled my eyes and glared at him. If there was one thing I hated, it was a bully. After living with my father for so long, I'd learned to hate them more than anything else. And Snotlout was about to discover that the hard way.

"Gods have mercy on his soul," Hiccup prayed after realizing what I was about to do.

Snotlout barely had a chance to react when I suddenly slugged him in the nose. The force knocked him to the ground, hard. He let out a yelp of surprise and held his hand up to his nose.

"Owe, I think you broke my nose!" he groaned.

"Serves you right," I snapped. Astrid and the twins watched on in amusement as I continued beating the stuffing out of him. All the while Jacob and Hiccup were wincing at the sight, thankful they weren't on the receiving end of my fury.

...

Meanwhile, Fishlegs and his Gronckle, Meatlug, were heaving a leisure time on an island far, far away from Berk and it's grueling combat lessons. The pair had discovered the island recently, and enjoyed the variety of rocks and plants that grew on it. Meatlug herself was feasting on a pile of rocks while Fishlegs admired a perfect view of the sunset.

"What a glorious day, Meatlug," he said wistfully. "You and me on our own secret island, no dumb old hand-to-hand combat, and more importantly, no Snotlout for miles." Meatlug purred in agreement as she snacked on a pebble he'd found for her.

Suddenly a cold wind picked up, and Fishlegs shivered from it. Meatlug noticed this and snuggled closer to her rider and blew a small lava blast to the ground, providing him the perfect warmth. Fishlegs smiled as Meatlug warbled at him. To thank her, he began to sing her favorite song:

" _There once was a dragon named Meatlug, she was cuter and smarter than a sea slug, when she met her pet Fish, it fulfilled his greatest wish... To love her and give her a big bear hug_!"

Fishlegs finished singing the last verse, and was ready to give Meatlug a big hug for her, when she suddenly turned and waddled off.

"Okay, that was bad. Even for me," he admitted, watching in confusion as Meatlug started digging at the ground not far from where he sat. "Really, that bad?"

He walked over to her, wondering if the song really was that terrible or if she had eaten too many rocks. Meatlug continued digging furiously. She could smell something underneath, and curiosity drove her to finding what that something was. Finally her determined digging unearthed the object in question. Meatlug stared at the strange object in wonder along with his rider, who only had one question for the object in question.

"What is that?"

...

It was late at night when we were all gathered at the village plaza with our dragons. Snowfire and Toothless were busy chasing each other in a game of dragon tag, tackling over whatever obstacles stood in their way. We were on the lookout for signs of Meatlug and Fishlegs, since they still hadn't returned.

"I'm starting to get a little worried about Fishlegs," Astrid murmured. "Do you think he's okay?" she asked, turning to look at Hiccup and I as we stood side-by-side.

"Heh, he looks okay to me," Ruffnut said nonchalantly while waving her hand at an incoming object. We all looked up to see that Ruffnut was right. Fishlegs and Meatlug were on their way, and Fishlegs' satchel was... _glowing_. Unless flashlights were suddenly invented, I didn't think that was possible.

"Is Fishlegs glowing?" Tuffnut asked in surprise.

"Actually, I think he is," Hiccup replied as Snotlout came forward.

"Not for long," the Jorgenson boy said with a grin while cracking his knuckles.

Snotlout stopped immediately when he saw the vengeful look I was giving him. After the beat-down from earlier today, one would think he'd learned. Fishlegs jumped off of Meatlug's back the moment she landed. Hiccup was the first to greet Fishlegs and ask about his absence.

"Uh, Fishlegs, where were you this afternoon?" he asked before arrogant Snotlout piped up again.

"You missed hand-to-hand combat. My hand in your face!" he exclaimed. Fishlegs only rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh, amusing," he replied calmly. "But I refuse to encourage your violent tendencies, Snotlout."

"Don't knock it till you buy it," Snotlout added with a cheeky grin. I only rolled my eyes that comment. The twins, however, were more focused on what was inside Fishlegs' satchel.

"He's glowing again," Ruffnut said whispered to her brother.

"I know, spooky..." Tuffnut added. Fishlegs only shook his head in amusement.

"It's not me that's glowing," he corrected them. "It's this."

He pulled out an object out of the satchel, and said object happened to be a glowing white rock. My eyes widened when I realized it almost looked like a diamond, worth thousands in our world, but here, probably worthless.

"Beautiful," I whispered, amazed that a stone could glow like that. It seemed as though the stone hadn't even come from this world.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked while eyeing the stone curiously.

Fishlegs looked at us warily, obviously having trouble finding an answer. All I knew was, a stone like that would probably bring a few bucks in our world. And bring out the worst in people. Money created greed. And that could lead to dangerous things. Fortunately though for Fishlegs, Gobber was the first to notice what the stone was.

"It's a stone of good fortune," he explained after recognizing it. "My great uncle's wife's brother once told me of it's powers." I hadn't realized until now that a crowd was gathered around us. By now we'd wandered to the Great Hall where everyone was crowding around Fishlegs to stare at the stone.

"I thought he was a mute," Mulch said in an accusing tone, referring to his relative.

"Until he found the stone," Gobber muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Then we couldn't shut him up." Gobber suddenly gestured to the stone in Fishlegs' hands, causing everyone to lean forward expectantly. "This stone brings good luck to whomever comes into contact with it."

That seemed to only excite the crowd even more. Sudden unease crawled through me as I wondered if Gobber was right. Something about this seemed almost too good to be true. A stone that rare shouldn't be so easily found.

"Stone of good fortune... huh," Snotlout muttered almost to himself while everyone began asking Fishlegs if they could touch it or take it off his hands.

Poor Fishlegs looked overwhelmed by the crowd greedily trying to take the stone for themselves. Hiccup and I frantically tried to pull Fishlegs away when he was suddenly tackled by the large crowd. Unfortunately there were too many people for either of us to get any closer.

"That's enough! Everyone, stand back!" Stoick's voice boomed over the roaring crowd. His father stood in the Great Hall, causing the crowd to cease their senseless yammering for a change. I winced at the sight of Fishlegs flattened on the floor. "Who found this?" he demanded after noticing the glowing stone.

"Uhm... right here, Chief," Fishlegs replied, holding his hand up while Gobber helped him back to his feet.

"It's a stone of good fortune," Gobber explained while staring at the stone in wonder.

"We want it!"

"Let me touch it!"

"Let me have it!" Stoick quickly put himself between the eager Vikings and Fishlegs as a barrier while they continued throwing in offers and begging for the stone. All the while I was amazed at how greedy people could get within just a few minutes. One little rumor and it could change people in seconds.

"Please, my baby, she needs good fortune," a mother called out as she held her baby in a blanket. I rolled my eyes when Tuffnut leaned over and looked at the baby in disgust.

"That's a baby? I thought it was a bundle of sticks wrapped in bacon," he grumbled as the mother took the baby out of his line of sight.

"Never mind, Tuffnut," Stoick said in a stern voice, looking right at the Thorston twin.

Once again people starting shouting random offers that might sway Fishlegs' mind. One mother had actually offered her son as payment for her stone. Just how sick and twisted were these people? And the look of interest Snotlout showed only furthered those thoughts.

"Listen to me! This stone belongs to Fishlegs. And what he does with it is up to him," Stoick announced in a firm tone. Fishlegs kept giving everyone terrified looks as they continued shouting offers.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Hiccup suggested after realizing things were taking a turn for the worse. Both Fishlegs and I nodded in agreement as we sneaked down the stairs while the crowd continued throwing out offers for the stone.

"Twenty sheep and Gustav Larson?" Snotlout asked in disbelief as he joined us. "You're turning that down? What do you want for it?"

"You can't have it, Snotlout. Not for any price," Fishlegs replied, clutching the stone for dear life. Snotlout smirked and put his hands on his hips.

"Oh, I think I can. You seem to forget; when Snotlout wants something, he just takes it!" Snotlout suddenly started to grab the stone when I stepped in between them.

"Just how badly do you want that stone, Snotlout?" I asked, glaring daggers at the obnoxious kid. Snotlout stared at me angrily, then seemed to remember the brutal beating I gave him earlier that day. Snotlout finally rolled his eyes and scowled.

"You're lucky I don't hit girls." That did not sit well on me. Snotlout's smug expression disappeared as I continued glaring daggers at him.

"Yeah, well so are you," I retorted as I pushed my way past him.

...

"I'm taking this stone back to where Meatlug and I found it," Fishlegs announced once everyone other than Snotlout was gathered.

' _That is not a stone_ ,' Snowfire growled, glaring at the object.

"I'll go with you," I reassured him, realizing that such a task might prove difficult. Fishlegs threw me a thankful look while Tuffnut and Ruffnut announced that they were too exhausted to go. Luckily Astrid and Hiccup volunteered while Jacob asked to stay behind.

"You'll be careful, right?" Jacob asked when we began to part ways.

"I'll be fine, Jacob," I reassured him with a smile. "Besides, it's not like a life-risking sort of journey." Then again anything could happen these days.

"Looks like the dragons are ready to leave," Astrid announced while looking at Stormfly and Toothless.

Snowfire had pushed her way between us, and I only rolled my eyes as I joined Hiccup. It was probably a good thing that Jacob had chosen to stay behind. Someone needed to keep an eye on the twins if they got into any trouble.

...

A full moon shown brightly, reflecting off of Snowfire's scales as she flew between a Night Fury and a Deadly Nadder. Meatlug flew ahead despite our urgency to get to the island fast. Fishlegs held on to the stone of good fortune while we made our way back to the island in question.

"You sure you wanna do this, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked. Fishlegs only nodded in response.

"There's too much stress. You saw that mob, they ran right over me!" he exclaimed.

"Like a sack of flour," Astrid added as Stormfly flew next to Meatlug.

"You know, I didn't even think it was possible to knock Fishlegs down," I admitted, remembering that Fishlegs probably could be used as a shield himself. Then I immediately pushed the thought aside, realizing how rude that sounded.

"I just wanna put this thing back where I found it, and never think about it again," Fishlegs told us, keeping the satchel close to him.

' _For the last time, it is not a stone_ ,' Snowfire snapped. I looked down at her in concern when the other dragons suddenly started acting uneasy. The closer we got the more I realized that the island was actually covered in those glowing stones.

"They sense something," Hiccup said as Toothless growled with unease.

"Snowfire just said that thing isn't a stone," I muttered. "Hiccup, you don't think those things are—"

"Dragon eggs," Fishlegs finished for me, his eyes widening in realization. "And those trees... they're covered with them!"

"There must be a dozen of them," Astrid said.

"They really are dragon eggs," Fishlegs groaned after realizing the deadly mistake he'd made. "How did I miss that? The egg I dug up must have fallen out and gotten buried!" He paused as more guilt washed over him. "I can't believe I almost kept this baby away from it's mother!"

"Fishlegs, you didn't know," I reassured him. Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"She's right, you didn't know," he added. "Now, let's put this egg back and get out of here."

Spotting a well enough tree, the four of us had the dragons hover close to it. Snowfire was definitely uneasy with whatever was out there. I really wished I understood what was actually going on. There were so many different dragons out there that it was impossible to tell what species it was without the Book of Dragons.

Fishlegs gently took out the egg from his satchel and prepared to put it in the tree. Suddenly Toothless' eyes widened and he snarled. Snowfire's eyes narrowed as she let out a warning growl, while Stormfly squawked with uneasiness.

' _They are close_ ,' Snowfire warned me.

"Yeah, really close," Astrid said when Stormfly suddenly swung her tail out, ready to strike out at whatever was watching us. "Fishlegs, say goodbye and let go!"

"Okay, okay, okay! Goodbye, color changing dragon egg," Fishlegs whispered at the glowing egg.

"Not literally," I groaned, facepalming as the husky teen carefully placed the egg on a branch.

Once Fishlegs was finished putting the egg back, the four of us turned around to leave the island. But we'd barely begun to leave when the sound of trees falling reached our ears. I looked over my shoulder in time to see what appeared to be large dragons camouflaged in colors flying behind us.

"Guys, we've got company!" I called, causing Hiccup and Astrid to turn around and see what was following us. The trees were being cut down by an invisible force. I shuddered to thing just how large these creatures actually were.

"They're following us," Hiccup added.

"Yeah, but what are they?" asked Astrid. The dragons kept speeding up in order to evade their pursuers.

"I don't see anything back there!" Fishlegs cried as Meatlug zigzagged through the trees along with Toothless, Stormfly and Snowfire.

A shiver ran through me when the dragons let out a roar. One of them suddenly fired a huge glob of acid that nearly hit Snowfire. She narrowly dodged it by ducking under a tree.

"Whoa!" Hiccup shouted as a green projectile sailed over him and Toothless, splattering on an unfortunate tree. I winced as the acid bubbled and oozed, eating away at what was left of the tree's bark until it toppled over dead. "Whatever it is, it's shooting some kind of acid at us." Another dragon than fired at Meatlug and Fishlegs, the duo swerving to the left just in time.

"Invisible, acid-spitting dragons? Great!" Fishlegs exclaimed sarcastically.

"Snow, any idea what they are?" I asked as the chase went on. The dragons were getting a little too close for comfort as we tried to avoid their acid and falling trees. Snowfire didn't get a chance to answer when one of them almost grabbed me.

"Alex!" Hiccup warned me just in time. Snowfire ducked once again and swerved towards the right, firing an icy blast at the dragon that tried grabbing me. "We have to get out of these trees," he added.

"Come on!" Astrid shouted, spotting an escape route and had Stormfly take the lead. A few more seconds of frantic flying and we were finally in the clear. Behind me I could hear the angry roars of mothers calling at us, probably swearing in whatever language dragons spoke in.

...

' _Those creatures were Changewings_ ,' Snowfire growled the following morning as we all gathered to find out what they were. Fishlegs had taken the liberty of finding the Book of Dragons as a reference guide. But Snowfire knew dragons better than we did, and my theory was proven right when Fishlegs found what we were looking for. Astrid sat next to Fishlegs while I sat beside Hiccup, Toothless and Snowfire behind us eating from a pile of fish.

"Sprays hot, burning acid... here it is! It's called the Changewing," Fishlegs explained, confirming my theory about Snowfire being right. "According to the Book of Dragons..."

Fishlegs paused as he searched for the appropriate page where an image and description would be. The only problem was, the page looked empty. Only a few runes could be made out, and they only provide us with what we already knew.

"Where are the drawings?" Hiccup asked while Fishlegs continued searching carefully.

True, the Book of Dragons had a page _describing_ what the Changewing did, but not an _image_. In fact, the whole page looked almost blank.

"There are none," Fishlegs replied.

"I guess you can't really draw what you can't see," I pointed out. Fishlegs nodded in agreement before he continued reading it.

"Listen to what it says: This remarkable dragon is able to change the color of it's skin to blend in with it's surroundings," he read out loud.

"Huh, just like an octopus, or a chameleon," I said, earning weird looks from Fishlegs and Astrid. Lots of creatures around the world had that kind of ability.

"Does it say anything about the eggs?" Astrid asked.

"N-N-No! Those didn't look like dragon eggs, right? If I had seen that, you know I would have never have gone and stolen..." I sighed as the chubby teen began clamming up again.

"Fishlegs, calm down!" Hiccup said as gently as possible. "None of us knew."

"But I should have! I _should have known_! Even Snowfire knew!" Fishlegs exclaimed before getting up.

"Fishlegs, you don't have to keep blaming yourself for something you couldn't stop," I pointed out. "None of what happened was your fault. Any one of us could have found that egg and brought it here, thinking it was a stone." Hiccup nodded in agreement and put a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder.

"All I know is, it's a good thing we brought that egg back to its mother. Who knows what they would've done if they egg was still on Berk?" he asked, looking relieved that Fishlegs appeared more reassured now.

At that moment, the doors to the Great Hall swung open and Ruffnut and Tuffnut waltzed in. My eyes caught sight of something glowing in Tuffnut's hands. I think my face paled at the realization of what the Thorston twin was holding. Gently I nudged Hiccup's shoulder, catching his attention when he spotted the twins.

"Uh... what's that?" Hiccup asked as casually as he could, hoping and praying that it wasn't what any of us thought it was. Tuffnut casually tossed the egg back and forth between his hands. My own hands turned into fists. I swore if he dropped that egg, I would have his head on a silver platter.

"Oh, I don't know," Tuffnut began in a voice that showed obvious pride and glee. "Maybe a lifetime of good luck!"

He grinned and bonked helmets with Ruffnut, who promptly fell over due to Tuffnut's exerted force. I rolled my eyes when Tuffnut danced victoriously, believing the egg had provided him with 'good fortune'.

"I'll take that," Astrid said, reaching for the egg.

"Over my cold, dead body!" Tuffnut proclaimed, he and Ruffnut making a quick escape.

"Where did you get it?" I called after them, though something already told me that I knew.

"We traded for it!" Ruffnut replied over her shoulder while Tuffnut barreled after her.

"Traded with who?" Hiccup asked.

' _I already have a good idea as to who it was_ ,' Snowfire replied, glaring at the door where the twins had disappeared through. Astrid, Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks as to which village idiot would be responsible for such stupidity.

...

We pushed our way past the crowd that had gathered around the village plaza. Snotlout had formed an auction while trading off the eggs he'd found with Hookfang's help. A knot formed in my stomach as I saw Gustav helping him out. The kid looked up to Snotlout, and pretty much acted like the arrogant bastard when he could.

"Seven and four, plus the axes? Come on folks! Only one left! Good luck for the rest of your life! Going once... going twice..." My fists clenched as everyone started backing away from the high bid. It was Bucket who'd made the highest bid. He was now staring at Snotlout expectantly while everyone else gave him a wide birth. "And sold! Gustav, give Bucket his stone of good fortune," Snotlout ordered.

' _Arrogant, pig-headed hatchling_ ,' Snowfire growled angrily.

"Snotlout, what are you doing?" Hiccup demanded when Snotlout almost ran into him.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm getting rich!" Snotlout retorted arrogantly.

"Oh, how I wish those Changewing mothers had gotten him when they had the chance," I muttered with a shake of my head. Fishlegs gave me a look of agreement before stepping forward, glaring at Snotlout best as he could.

"You're getting rick off of stolen property," he snapped. "You can't keep giving those away!"

"Already did," Snotlout said with a grin. "The gems are gone." He shrugged and looked at Gustav.

"Yep, all gone," Gustav added with a nod.

"Snotlout, you big idiot, those are dragons eggs!" I yelled, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Uh, Changewing eggs, to be exact," Fishlegs put in nervously.

"Changewing... Shmwange... I don't care what they are! All I know is, _I'm_ rich and you're not!" he boasted, leaning against the yak with a gloating smirk.

"Yeah, we're rich and you're not!" Gustav added with the same look, leaning against a sheep.

We all exchanged anxious looks after realizing there was no convincing the idiot. I was more amazed at how casual Gustav was being Snotlout's lackey. He seemed to admire the brute more than anything else. I wasn't sure whether to be envious or feel sick at the thought.

"Snotlout, listen to me," Hiccup began after regaining his composure, "We need to get those eggs off of Berk before something _really bad_ happens."

' _You do not want to see what a mother dragon is like when separated from her egg_ ,' Snowfire chimed in, glaring coldly at Snotlout. Snotlout looked at us skeptically before jabbing an accusing finger at Fishlegs.

"Really? You did," he pointed out.

"That was – that was an accident!" Fishlegs stammered, guilt washing over him once again.

"Accident, on purpose, rich, poor... who cares? They're gone, and I have a ' _no return_ ' policy. Tell 'em, Gustav," Snotlout retorted.

"No returns!" Gustav shouted while pushing a cart full of the weapons Snotlout had gotten.

I only shook my head in disbelief, wondering how this idiot had become a dragon rider at all. Snotlout was one of the most arrogant people I'd ever met. He made Jessica look good, and that was saying something.

"If you want those stones, you'll have to take it up to my customers," Snotlout added, leading the yak hitched to his cart full of booty away.

Fishlegs fell popped himself on the ground, looking more stressed and guilty than ever. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The poor kid obviously cared about the dragons, but he couldn't bring himself to defend the eggs that Snotlout had given away as mere trinkets.

"Oh... it's all my fault," he groaned.

"It's not your fault," Hiccup tried reassuring him.

"Yes it is," Fishlegs snapped. "If I hadn't gone to the island and brought that egg back, then Snotlout wouldn't have known where to get them, and we wouldn't be in danger of imminent attack by angry mother Changewings!" Meatlug warbled softly and pressed herself comfortingly against him.

Astrid looked at Fishlegs thoughtfully, resting her hand under her chin. "Well, when you put it that way... it really is your fault," she mused. The looks Hiccup and I gave her were priceless. Fishlegs was already in bad shape as it was. He didn't need someone telling him that everything really was his fault. Hiccup went over to Fishlegs' side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it was. We just have to find those eggs," Hiccup reassured his friend. Snowfire locked eyes with me, and I knew what we had to do next.

"And we know just where to start," I added.

...

One one part of the island, the twins were preparing for another one of their infamous stunts. This stunt in particular involved Tuffnut getting shoved into a pit full of old iron pots, wood, broken furniture and at least thirty Fireworms. How they managed to collect so many without touching was beyond their explanation. But since their skin was as hot as the sun, the probability of getting more than just a third-degree burn was very high.

Not that either of them cared in any way. When it came to pain, the more the merrier. Besides, this time it was Tuffnut getting hurt. Ruffnut couldn't wait to see her brother get wasted. Turning to face Ruffnut, Tuffnut gripped his Changewing egg tightly.

"Okay, when I count to three, shove me in really hard into the pit," he explained the plan as thoroughly as possible before heading t the cliff's ledge. Ruffnut looked at her brother in concern. For once she actually was worried about his safety.

"Uh, are you sure? You remember what those things did to you?" she asked, referring to the incident when they'd been searching for lost treasure. Tuffnut's screams of pain were still fresh.

"Oh please, I'm holding the stone of good fortune. Those skin-melting Fireworms won't stand a chance with me," he replied, confidence brimming in his voice. Besides, what was life without a little pain? Now Ruffnut couldn't contain her excitement as she looked up into the sky.

"Okay... Thank you, Thor!" she exclaimed before charging after her brother.

Tuffnut was falling the moment her shoulder collided into his body. The shout of panic that followed could be heard from miles away as he hurtled through the air. Just as he was a mere foot away from reaching his goal, the talon of a Deadly Nadder caught him by his boot.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he demanded after realizing that Astrid had saved him. Or, more specifically, Stormfly.

"Saving your skin, literally," Astrid replied before Stormfly dropped him where he'd been standing seconds before. It turned out that Hiccup, Fishlegs and Alex were already there with Ruffnut.

"Guys, that's not a good luck stone," Alex explained, earning a look of confusion from both twins.

"It's a dragon egg. And its mother is a dangerous dragon that blends in with just about anything, and it spits out hot, burning acid and destroys whatever is in it's path," Hiccup finished for her.

It was disgustingly cute the way they finished each others sentences. The twins shared dubious looks before looking back at Hiccup.

"Okay, so like, if a tree, for example, were spitting acid and melting everything in sight..." Tuffnut began.

"You're saying that would be these dragons?" Ruffnut finished for him.

"Actually... yeah, it would," Alex replied, sounding impressed that they actually understood the situation they were in.

"Wow, they got it on the first try," Astrid added in amazement.

"We're not stupid," Ruffnut reminded them.

"At least I'm not, and besides, there's one right there," Tuffnut added, pointing to a couple of trees behind Hiccup and Alex.

Hiccup and Alex looked in the direction he was pointing to. They both stiffened at the sound of a dragon growling, and turned in time to see the trees falling down. Both Toothless and Snowfire got into defensive positions immediately.

That was when everyone saw it. In one tree, camouflaged against the bark and pine needles, was a dragon. Everyone stood and watched in awe, because the dragon, if it moved even an inch, changed it's color from the environment to a vibrant red.

"Whoa, the Changewing," Astrid breathed out as it jumped to a nearby boulder, it's skin turning red before it camouflaged itself.

"Chameleon or cuttlefish, I'm not sure which," Alex mused, earning weird looks from everyone.

"What's a cuttlefish?" Tuffnut asked.

"It's amazing," Hiccup said, ignoring Tuffnut's question and earning a glare from the Thorston twin. "It really does blend in."

Tuffnut grinned as a new thought came to mind. Imagine what he could do with a dragon that blended in with it's territory. The chaos that would follow would surely please Loki to no end.

"Hiccup, Alex, quick! Train it so we can keep it! And have it spit acid at Ruffnut!" he exclaimed eagerly.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes at her brother's idea and suddenly shoved him to the ground. Then the Changewing chose that moment to fire acid that hit the two boulders right in front of her. Luckily Ruffnut was spared from the melting substance though, much to Tuffnut's displeasure.

"Hit the deck!" Astrid cried as she, Hiccup and Alex dove out of the way along with Snowfire and Toothless.

Through the fallen trees, the dragon riders were able to make out three mother Changewings. And one of them happened to be crawling across the fallen tree right towards Tuffnut.

"Tuffnut, look out!" Alex called in alarm. Tuffnut only stood firm. It was a good thing he couldn't read her thoughts, or her dragons for that matter.

"Nice try, but as you can see, I'm holding the stone—" Tuffnut didn't get the chance to finish as the Changewing grabbed him and shook him like a dog's toy.

The egg was knocked out of his hand and the Changewing tossed him aside to catch it. In the end, Tuffnut got a huge dose of bad luck as he crashed into a nearby tree, upside down and fell face-first to the ground with a thud. With one egg recovered, the mother Changewings took flight.

"Did you see that?" Hiccup asked once they were gone while Astrid helped Tuffnut up.

"At least they're gone," Ruffnut said, sounding relieved.

"Uh, they're not gone," Alex pointed out nervously.

"How do you know?" Astrid asked her, suddenly worried. Fishlegs took a second to ponder on what just happened when he realized all too soon what the Changewings were doing.

"Because... the Changewings worked together as a team to save that one egg," he explained. Astrid nodded in understanding, realizing just how serious the situation was.

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked.

"Oh, that's what he's saying!" Tuffnut exclaimed, pointing a finger at Fishlegs. "Wait, what are you saying?" he asked, causing both Alex and Astrid to roll their eyes.

"None of the Changewings are going to leave until _all_ their eggs are safe," Alex explained, emphasizing what Fishlegs was trying to point out.

"And they are going to tear Berk apart until they find every last one," Hiccup added as realization dawned on him.

...

Later that night at Hiccup's house, we were all gathered to report to Stoick what was about to occur. Stoick's eyes widened in alarm as we recalled how the Changewings had attacked without warning. Once he understood the severity of the situation, Stoick looked at us thoughtfully.

"So... what you're telling me is that our village is about to be under siege by wild dragons we can't even see?" he finally asked once we were finished explaining.

"That about sums it up," I replied with a confirming nod.

"Oh, don't forget about the hot, burning acid!" Tuffnut piped up, earning deadpanned looks from us all. "What, it was awesome," he added sheepishly. Stoick chose to ignore him and turned to me and Hiccup.

"Well, grab your dragons, then. We'll fight them off," he ordered. Hiccup wrung his hands nervously.

"Dad, I wish it were that easy. No matter what we do, they won't go away until they get what they want," he explained warily. Stoick's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he turned to me.

"Have you tried bonding with them?" he asked.

I winced at the thought of putting myself in front of an angry mother. Dragons were just like mother bears – they were fiercely protective over their hatchlings. Any thought of bonding with them was probably next to impossible.

"They just want their babies!" Fishlegs groaned. "Oh, it's all my fault..."

"Fishlegs, how many times must we tell you that it isn't your fault?" I muttered with a roll of my eyes. Suddenly Gobber chose that moment to walk inside and share some big news.

"Stoick, I just realized something! It's not a stone of good fortune! It's a _Changewing_ egg! I always get those two confused," he proclaimed, not noticing the looks we were giving him. "So, what are you all up to?" he asked cheerfully, oblivious to the dangers we were all in.

"Oh nothing too big, Gobber," I replied with a shrug. "Just another life-threatening situation involving a mob of angry Changewing mothers who are looking for their stolen eggs." Gobber's face turned a bright shade of red as realization hit him.

"Oh."

"You'd make a pretty good story-teller," Astrid said with a smirk after laughing at the look on Gobber's face.

"Thank you, Astrid," I replied meekly. The awkward silence that followed suddenly made me feel uneasy as Stoick decided to get right down to business.

"Hiccup, what are you suggesting we do?" he asked.

"I think we should get everyone off the island until we can get the eggs back to their mothers, and the Changewings leave. Hopefully it's not too late," Hiccup replied, not sounding optimistic at all. Stoick didn't seem too fond of the plan. Something told me that leaving the island was something the people around here would never do. Not unless it was to their last breath.

"In all the years that I have been Chief, we've never turned in fear of anything. I'm not about to start now," Stoick told him stubbornly.

Suddenly a scream cut through the awkward silence.

"Maybe now would be a good time to start," I muttered with a roll of my eyes at the piercing scream coming from outside.

All of us ran outside in time to see Changewings running amok in the town. One managed to break into a nearby house and chased out a couple living inside. Objects flew everywhere, and I ducked in time to avoid a frying pan.

"They're looking for their eggs," Hiccup told his father.

Another Changewing fired green blob at another house, causing the door blocking it's path to melt. The Viking living inside yelled and ran out of it, dropping the chest he was holding in the process. The Changewing stopped for a moment and sniffed the chest curiously. Stoick suddenly grabbed a nearby wooden post (lifting it out of the ground, in fact), and charged at the unsuspecting Changewing. The Changewing heard his footsteps approaching and suddenly melted into it's surroundings, causing Stoick to stop in his tracks and look around warily.

"There must be an egg in that chest," I breathed after realizing why the Changewing was guarding it.

"Where did it go?" Stoick asked.

"That would be the blending in we were telling you about," Hiccup informed him. Tuffnut smirked.

"I see it. Hey, I got this, Chief," he said while walking straight towards the spot where the Changewing had been.

' _Does the hatchling realize it is not there_?' Snowfire asked in amusement.

"Stay, dragon. I am now your master." I only shook my head after realizing he really did think something was there. Tuffnut turned and gave us all a thumbs up.

"It's gone, isn't it?" Stoick asked Hiccup.

"Oh, long gone," Hiccup told him with a nod. The sound of a Viking brought Stoick back to the present situation.

"You and the others go find those eggs. We'll handle the Changewings," he ordered.

"Come on," Hiccup rallied everyone as we mounted our dragons.

' _Fighting an angry Changewing mother does not sound like a wise choice_ ,' Snowfire growled irritably.

"How are we supposed to fight something we can't see?" Jacob asked when he finally reached us on Sniper.

"They're everywhere! And they're nowhere! You have to do something, Stoick!" a Viking who'd narrowly escaped a Changewing shouted.

Stoick and Gobber then spotted a Changewing camouflaged against a house. Gobber grabbed a post of his own, and, together, he and Stoick charged at the dragon with battle cries. The two of them pummeled and pounded until the house could barely stand. I facepalmed at the sight when they shook hands, congratulating each other. Seconds later and the house collapsed in a pile of rubble, sending a cloud of dust right into their faces.

The Changewing had been hiding in the house the entire time. And she did not like having her face smashed. Not when she was hunting for her eggs that were so rudely taken. She roared at them and suddenly took flight, leaving the ruined house behind. The situation was already spiraling out of control, and Gobber finally seemed to realize there was no point in fighting something they couldn't see.

"Hiccup was right, we can't fight what we see," he shouted over the crowd gathering nearby. Stoick shook his head, hating to admit defeat.

"To the docks!" he ordered. "Everyone, board the ships! We're evacuating the island!"

Bucket was oblivious to the chaos unfolding in the village as he went on a nightly stroll, humming happily to himself. All the while he was holding the Changewing egg, unaware that he was dangerously close to one of the Changewings. Another had just scared off another Viking, then focused it's attention on him. Seeing the egg in his hands, the Changewing roared and gave chase. Snowfire had luckily spotted Bucket as he screamed and ran, still clutching the egg for dear life.

"Somebody help me!" he cried. Snowfire managed to fly alongside him as he ran.

"Bucket, it's the egg, it wants your egg!" I shouted, pointing to the Changewing egg. But Bucket had unintentionally picked up a basket full of chicken eggs and looked at me in confusion.

"But... what egg?" he asked fearfully as the Changewing sprayed hot acid. Finally Bucket managed to reach the steps of a house and hid underneath them. But suddenly another Changewing appeared and knocked the egg right out of his hand, passing it to another Changewing.

By now most of the Changewings had gone after collecting all of their eggs. Snowfire hovered beside Toothless as Jacob and the others joined up with us at the dock.

"Dad, stop the evacuation! We got them all! The Changewings are all gone!" Hiccup announced in a hopeful tone. Gobber looked at us skeptically and pointed at the cliffs overlooking Berk.

"Then how do you explain _that_?" he asked. We all turned in time to see four Changewings still rampaging around Berk.

"And just when it seems this is over," I groaned.

"Now there are four of them," Hiccup added after realizing just how dangerous this was getting.

"But there were only three eggs," Fishlegs pointed out. The Changewings looked as if they had their eyes trained on something nearby. Astrid followed the line of their sight.

"They're going for the ship," she stated in alarm.

That got everyone else confused. I already had an idea as to who the Changewings were following. It seemed I wasn't the only one who already guessed what was happening. Fishlegs narrowed his eyes and glared at the ship the Changewings were flying towards.

"What do they want with...?" Gobber's question was answered by Fishlegs.

"It's not the ship. It's what's on the ship," Fishlegs replied. Then he frowned as he spotted Snotlout and Gustav. My eyes narrowed with rage when I realized Snotlout was holding another Changewing egg of his own. "Another egg!" he exclaimed.

"Of course that bastard would keep an egg for himself," I growled through gritted teeth.

"Can you guys keep the Changewings at bay?" Fishlegs asked.

"What're you going to do?" Hiccup asked in concern.

I wasn't the only one to notice Fishlegs' change in demeanor. Clearly protecting the eggs had given him an all new look in life. A mother defended her children with her life, and that was what these Changewings were doing.

"Something I should've done a _long_ time ago," Fishlegs replied.

"Kick his sorry ass for us," Jacob said with a smirk as Fishlegs climbed onto Meatlug and went off to confront Snotlout.

"Dad?" Hiccup asked when the Changewings started getting ready to strike.

Stoick wasted no time in hopping onto Thornado. The Thunderdrum started firing a sonic blast at the Changewings approaching us. Snowfire fired an icy blast at another, throwing it off course. Fishlegs and Meatlug had arrived at Snotlout's boat. Once they landed, Fishlegs got off and glared at Snotlout.

"Going somewhere, Snotlout?" he asked, folding his arms and putting on the most threatening appearance possible.

"Who's asking?" Snotlout asked. Gustav turned around and looked at Fishlegs with equal defiance.

"Who's asking?" he repeated. Fishlegs locked his eyes on Gustav.

"Go find your mother, Gustav," he ordered. Gustav immediately became frightened and he whimpered. It was easy to see that being traded from his mother had taken a toll on him. On top of that, the whole Changewing fiasco had also frightened him beyond belief. And like the little kid he was, he ran off towards his mother.

"I can't believe you! I was really starting to like that kid..." Snotlout muttered crossly. I watched on in amazement as Fishlegs finally found the courage to stand up for himself.

"Give it to me, Snotlout," Fishlegs ordered, his voice chillingly calm. Snotlout only scowled in response.

"Ha, finally," he sneered, his hands balling into fists. If I could, I would have unleashed Snowfire's fury on the arrogant bastard. But for now I held back, focusing on the Changewings that were getting dangerously close for my liking.

"You know what I mean," Fishlegs added, clearly not looking for a fight. "Where's the egg?" Snotlout was unaware that he was about to unleash Fishlegs' temper on himself. I only wished I had a camera to record the whole thing.

"None of your business. Awe, what're you gonna do about it, Fishlegs?" Snotlout asked mockingly.

That was when Fishlegs did something that took everyone by surprise. He roared with fury and grabbed the cart full of Snotlout's newly acquired weapons and threw it aside like it was nothing. Snotlout narrowly dodged the weapons and frightened chickens as they flew off in different directions. Fishlegs paused from his frantic search after tearing through Snotlout's things and turned to face the Jorgenson boy.

"Now, you listen. You can do whatever you want to me. You can make fun of me, threaten me, mock my incredible dragon knowledge, but what you will not do is stand between a baby dragon and it's mother. Do you understand me, Snotlout?" Fishlegs demanded in the most threatening tone I'd ever heard from him.

' _The hatchling has finally grown some backbone_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at Snotlout's face.

"Oh, it's always the quiet ones that snap the loudest," I heard Bucket say.

"I'd give it to him, Snotlout. There's no telling what he's capable of," Mulch added. I had to agree with them, it was almost as if Fishlegs felt the mother's rage as his own.

Fishlegs ignored them and turned to see Meatlug digging around for the egg. "That's it, find the egg girl," he encouraged her. Meatlug then spotted a basket and upturned it. Tucked away neatly under it was the fourth Changewing egg. "Hm... what do you know? There it is. I think I'll just take that." He took the egg gently and gave Snotlout an icy look. "Any objections? Didn't think so," he scoffed before getting on Meatlug. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with destiny."

Luckily Snowfire was flying high enough that we could see what Fishlegs was doing. Meatlug stayed behind while Fishlegs walked into the village, alone.

' _He is regaining his honor_ ,' Snowfire mused in realization. I nodded in understanding. Fishlegs was doing this for himself and the rest of Berk. It was something he needed to do on his own.

"Okay Changewings, I know you're out there! Come and get me!"

Only silence greeted his challenging words. Fishlegs stayed where he was. My eyes narrowed as I caught sight of the Changewings blending in with their territory. One of them suddenly swooped past Fishlegs, and he instinctively backed into a nearby house. One of the Changewings was looming above him, acid dribbling from it's mouth to get his attention. Fishlegs saw her and tried to move away, only to get cornered by two more. Finally, the fourth Changewing approached him and growled.

"And... we're all here," Fishlegs said, resisting the urge to flinch. In his most polite tone, he greeted them. "Hi, I'm Fishlegs. I've read a lot about you." The Changewings didn't change their stance. "Clearly, not enough." Fishlegs carefully cradled the egg in his hands. The Changewing in front of him roared, clearly not in the mood for small talk. "Okay, here's how this is gonna work. I'm gonna give you this egg, and you're gonna take it, and you're gonna leave Berk in peace," he instructed, getting straight down to business. "I promise you, that if you don't burn me with that hot acid, I will spend the rest of my life making sure no one ever tries to take your eggs again... sounds good?"

For a minute, the Changewing just stared him down. Fishlegs made sure to avoid direct eye contact since Changewings were known to hypnotize people with their eyes. Suddenly the Changewing snatched the egg right from his hand. I watched in amazement as the three other Changewings roared in response. But they didn't attack. Instead, they all flew off and left Fishlegs standing there in complete shock and terror.

...

A few days after the Changewing debacle (as Fishlegs was so describing it), we found ourselves back doing combat practice with Gobber at the Academy. Hiccup was sitting cross-legged on the ground while Fishlegs stood and gave him a detailed descriptions of what the Changewing had looked like so that he could draw it in the Book of Dragons.

"I'm telling you, up close, face-to-face, it was much more ferocious! I'm just saying that one of us was there and one of us wasn't," Fishlegs insisted. Hiccup only rolled his eyes in amusement as he made the necessary changes to the Changewing's jaws. "That's it! Now do the teeth and the hot, dripping acid." Once Hiccup had finished adding the details, Fishlegs looked more than impressed with his work. "Perfect!"

"You should've seen the way he stood up to Snotlout," I mused as Fishlegs was called to face off with Snotlout. "I've never seen anything like it." I wished I could have that kind of courage.

"Yeah, I really wish I could've seen it," Hiccup admitted sheepishly.

Fishlegs and Snotlout, shields in hand, circled each other slowly in the arena. Snotlout looked more fearful than ever of Fishlegs' new-found determination. He was actually hiding behind the shield, fearing the larger teen's wrath.

Having courage wasn't the same as having no fear. It's being afraid and pushing forward anyways. Whether it means saving a baby dragon, or protecting the ones you love, or kicking the ass of someone they so richly deserve.

* * *

 **AN: I had fun writing out this chapter. I'm not even sure why I skipped it in the original. Also, I was just listening to Owl City's album All Things Bright and Beautiful again. I almost forgot how much I loved that album, and Adam's soothing voice :)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Don't worry, she will. And thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. You don't have to read 'Another Hiccup', since this is basically a rewrite to the original version, with some (hopefully) major improvements.**

 **TheSilentFury - That stinks :( I can't imagine how that must feel. I am forever grateful to have the support of my parents and family, and friends for that matter, but I'm also always afraid of losing them. But I know that they won't be gone forever, and they are with me always. And I'm not too fond of him either...**


	31. We Are Family, Part I

**Chapter Thirty One**

A pair of Gronckles carried a banner to the front steps of the Great Hall while a Deadly Nadder helped a Viking woman fill an old catapult with decorations and flowers. The whole village of Berk was bustling with activity, for it was Bork Week, the annual holiday celebrating the life and work of Berk's first dragon guru, Bork the Bold.

Gobber happily screwed on his hammer arm and added the final touches to his ancestor's statue. Looking down, he cheerfully greeted his fellow Berkians. "Happy Bork Week, Magnus!" he said to a Viking carrying a sack of flour. "And a good Bork Week to you too, Seamus." He nodded to a bald Viking having a drink, who grinned back and held up his mug. "Most importantly, a spectacular Bork Week to you, great-great grandpa Bork," he finished.

Bucket and Mulch chose that moment to join him in admiring the statue that towered above them. It depicted a Viking on a dragon with his sword held high.

"Best week of the year, eh, Gobber?" Mulch asked cheerfully.

"Right up there with Stump Day," Gobber replied with a grin as they banged their appendages together. Then Mildew decided to join them, a scowl forever written across his face. By now everyone had gotten used to that look, especially when the dragons made peace with Berk.

"Ah the good old days, brings tears to me eyes. We could use a man like Bork around here," he said, feigning nostalgia.

"Tradition's a fine thing, Mildew. But things have changed for the better if you ask me," Gobber reminded him.

"I didn't," Mildew grumbled as his pet sheep, Fungus, bleated in agreement.

"We've come a long way from the time it was us or the dragons. You might be a little less crusty if you got used to that, Mildew," Gobber told him. Mildew only scoffed in response.

"Oh, pass. Thanks!" he grunted while Fungus bleated in agreement once more. "When are Bork's archives going on display?" he asked randomly. "You still got that dragon gutting dagger of his, don't you?"

Gobber rolled his eyes in response, getting annoyed with Mildew's behavior. The old muck was such a killjoy when it came to events like these. His enjoyment of dragon torture related things had started unnerving the blacksmith.

"They'll all be in the Great Hall tomorrow, don't you worry," he reassured the old man before walking away. Mildew only grumbled something under his breath before going off to complain some more.

...

Vikings have a strong sense of community. It's important for us to be part of a family and celebrate that connection. Or so I've been told. What people fail to realize is that I didn't have any family here. The closest person I could consider a brother, not by blood, but as a best friend, was Jacob.

Once a year Berk held a week-long celebration for a guy known as Bork the Bold. Apparently he was the one who wrote the Book of Dragons. It was a big deal, considering no one had ever tried such a daring or dangerous task. The celebration itself was known simply as Bork Week.

Sure enough everyone back in the village was setting up. And of course we chose to stay out of it. Instead we were all gathered in the cove, waiting for Fishlegs and Hiccup to test their new idea when they came up with it together.

I closed my eyes and thought back to where Snowfire was hiding. All the other dragons were hiding as well, that was part of the test. But the one thing that made my connection with Snowfire different was that I could sense where she was, and she could sense where I was. That connection made our bond stronger than anything Hiccup or the others had seen.

White Terrors were different from any other dragon I'd ever met in this world. There was still so much about Snowfire that I had yet to learn. She could communicate with me through her mind, and others if she allowed them to hear her voice. On top of that she could breath fire _and_ ice. To make things even more interesting, Snowfire could also regulate the temperature around her. If she was angry with someone, the air would usually get freezing, and vise-versa.

Suddenly Hiccup started howling like a dragon, shaking me from my thoughts. The call vibrated off the rocky walls, loud enough for anyone in the forest to hear.

"That's why you brought us here?" Snotlout demanded in annoyance. "To honk into the wind?"

"Just wait, Snotlout," Fishlegs replied confidently.

"Dragon calls... whatever," Snotlout scoffed and leaned against a log, folding his arms as he glared at nothing. That's when he saw the bored looking twins and took out one of his Thawfest medals. I rolled my eyes in annoyance when Snotlout began reflecting the light off his medal, shining it in front of the twins.

"Uh, guys?" Hiccup asked when the twins' attention was focused on the little dot light.

"Idiots," Snotlout snickered as they started chasing it like cats.

"Snotlout," Hiccup said in a warning tone.

"So stupid," Snotlout continued chuckling in amusement.

"Seriously?" Hiccup deadpanned, finally getting Snotlout's attention.

"What? It's fun," Snotlout protested. Then he noticed the look Hiccup was giving him and groaned. "Fine," he grumbled before putting the medal away. The moment he did the twins were snapped out of their daze, looking around in confusion.

"Ugh, gone again," Tuffnut muttered. Hiccup looked at the twins in confusion before shaking his head. I elbowed Snotlout when he rolled his eyes at the howling that followed.

"And nothing," he said with a triumphant smirk. "Can we go now?"

At that moment we all heard the familiar roar of a dragon, followed by the sound of Snowfire's eerie screech. That noise would always give me chills. It went right through me.

"You were saying?" I asked with a cheeky grin. Toothless than landed in front of us out of nowhere, crooning at the sight of his human best friend. Snowfire landed beside him, brushing her snout against my open hand. "It's good to see you too," I murmured.

"Fine," Snotlout muttered crossly. "I hate to admit it, but that was pretty cool."

"Not as cool as that disappearing shiny thing," Tuffnut said randomly. "You can never catch it!"

"Fishlegs, you wanna show us your dragon call?" Hiccup asked, ignoring Tuffnut's statement.

"I thought you'd never ask," Fishlegs said proudly. "The call of the Gronckle is unique in itself," he began as he joined us. "Raw, guttural, intense, yet with a subtle lilt."

I couldn't help but smirk at that. Only Fishlegs would describe a Gronckle's call as that. Or even know what it sounded like. Luckily he was a walking dragon encyclopedia, and he was always eager to prove that to everyone.

"Just go already," Snotlout muttered impatiently. Fishlegs did just that. He made a few growling noises before Meatlug finally flew down towards us.

"Not bad," Jacob said, actually sounding serious this time.

I knew he wasn't overly fond of Fishlegs just because of the odd relationship that went on between the chubby teen and Meatlug. But there were times when he admired Fishlegs for his intelligence on dragons.

"Yeah, well done," Hiccup added in agreement.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Fishlegs told them. "Watch this." He started growling again in a deeper voice, making Snowfire wince at the odd sounds.

"I don't even want to know what part of the body that came from," Tuffnut said. His face twisted in disgust, a look that matched his sister's. "Or do I?" After a few more growls, Fishlegs finally stopped and looked exhausted.

"I've gotta take a knee," he groaned after falling on one knee. My eyes widened in amazement as a whole herd of Gronckles started flying towards us.

"Wow, nice herd," Tuffnut noted as they flew past us.

"Be home for dinner! You're having granite!" Fishlegs called as Meatlug joined the herd. "That's her favorite."

"Okay. Anyone want to beat that?" Hiccup asked. I glanced at Snowfire as she just rolled her eyes.

' _No human can match my call_ ,' she boasted. To which I rolled my eyes. While she had a point, her pride often got the better of her. Snowfire's call was unique, to a point where anyone would recognize it if they heard it.

"I can give it a try," Jacob said after getting off the boulder he'd been sitting on. "I've been practicing the last few weeks."

I listened with interest as he let out a series of deep growling noises that sounded similar to a Monstrous Nightmare. He actually really did practice. And here I thought he was just along for the ride. Minutes passed before a purple and red Monstrous Nightmare flew down to greet him.

"Not bad at all," Fishlegs congratulated as Sniper growled in contentment.

It was amazing how two of the same species could have completely different personalities. Sniper was much more gentle and kind compared to Hookfang. Though he did have his moments every now and than.

"I'll go next," Astrid volunteered after her competitive nature got the better of her.

She took a step forward, and after breathing in deeply, let out a loud series of howls that sounded similar to a Deadly Nadder. We watched on in amazement as a herd of Deadly Nadders started flying towards us.

"You sounded just like her," I admitted when Stormfly flew up to join the rest of the herd. Astrid only grinned in response, pride showing in her eyes.

"Uh, I have an important question," Tuffnut announced. Hiccup sighed in annoyance before turning to face him.

"Is it actually important this time?" he asked.

"Uh… Yeah. It always is," Tuffnut replied hesitantly. "Like, why are we doing this anyway? I don't get it."

"Well, first of all, you never know when you'll be separated from your dragon," Hiccup began after Tuffnut shrugged. "And the only way to communicate with it is to call it."

"Or just let them read your mind," I put in with a glance at Snowfire. She shuffled her wings before looking away, as if embarrassed to be put on the spotlight.

"Right," Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, didn't get it," Tuffnut muttered with another shrug.

"Second of all, it's Bork Week, and my dad asked us to put on a dragon air parade," Hiccup added.

"What's the big deal about Bork anyways?" Jacob whispered so that only I could hear. I gave him a look that said I'd explain later. Hiccup and Stoick had already explained the basics to me. Unfortunately Jacob hadn't been around to listen to the whole story.

"Why do we care about this Bork guy anyway?" Ruffnut asked. "Wasn't he a dragon killer?"

"Hey – Bork only killed dragons in self defense," Fishlegs replied. "He studied them, learned about them, lived and breathed them."

"And without him there would be no Book of Dragons," Hiccup added.

"And without the Book of Dragons there would be no—" Fishlegs began, but Snotlout cut him off.

"Reason for you to live?" he sneered. And of course the twins would laugh to that.

"Dragon Academy, actually," Hiccup replied. "And there would be no really cool dragon air show."

"So, when we do this really cool dragon air show, who's he going to fly with Toothless, and her?" Snotlout asked, gesturing to Toothless and Snowfire.

I can't believe that asshole really went with that. Luckily Hiccup didn't take it offensively. Unfortunately for Snotlout, Snowfire did. She let out a threatening growl that sent the Jorgenson by running, much to everyone's amusement.

"I'm working on it," Hiccup muttered under his breath.

"Technically Snowfire _is_ one of a kind too," I reminded them out of habit.

Though even I could hear the doubt in my voice as she glared at Snotlout. Would we ever find another Night Fury? Or even another White Terror?

...

Snowfire flew around the island as I watched the other dragons. Astrid had nearly mastered her flying formation with the herd of Deadly Nadders. They were flying in straight patterns along the beach as she waved them down. Nearby I saw Snotlout struggling to control the Monstrous Nightmare, while Jacob pretty much took over and had their eyes trained on him. The whole thing was just amusing, especially since Snotlout was so full of himself that he couldn't believe someone else had proven him wrong.

"You're not at all worried about being alone, are you?" I asked as we flew back to the village. Snowfire snorted in response, creating a puff of smoke that flew right into my face.

' _I am never alone_ ,' she replied. ' _I have you_.' Her words caught me by surprise. I never really thought of it that way.

"But who did you have before me?" I couldn't help but feel guilty after asking that. After all from what I gathered Snowfire had lived on her own before she found me. She didn't say anything to that. Instead she headed back towards the village, to where I spotted Hiccup and Toothless.

"I wish there were other Night Furies for you, bud," Hiccup sighed as Snowfire landed nearby. He nearly leaped out of his skin when he realized we'd joined them.

"If it makes you feel any better, I know the feeling," I muttered after hopping out of Snowfire's saddle. She just flicked her tail over my hair, earning a glare shortly after. "For some reason Snowfire isn't even phased by it though."

' _That is because we are not alone_ ,' she hummed.

"I just wish there was something we could do," he said after glancing at Toothless. I tried not to smirk when the Night Fury started rolling in the grass on his back. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was alone either.

"Snowfire said that they have us," I murmured thoughtfully. "But that doesn't make it any easier."

"Hiccup!" We both looked up to see Astrid flying down towards us on Stormfly. "Your father and Gobber are looking for you. Both you and Alex," she quickly added after noticing me standing beside him. "They're at the Great Hall, and they looked pretty serious."

Just something else to worry about. Wonderful.

"Yeah, great. Happy Bork week to us," Hiccup muttered with a roll of his eyes.

I had to agree with him on that one. Hopefully it wasn't anything too serious. With the stress of dealing with this parade and trying to keep everyone in line, I could use a break or two. And judging from how stressed Hiccup looked, he could too.

We arrived at the Great Hall moments later. And much to my surprise, we had a crowd waiting for us. A group of older Vikings along with Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout were gathered in the Great Hall. They talked amongst themselves until noticing we'd arrived.

"Okay, I'm officially freaking out now," I whispered after realizing how serious this was. Hiccup nodded in agreement until Stoick finally spoke up.

"Hiccup, Alex, come forward and hold out your hands," he ordered in a grim voice. Hesitantly we did as we were told, but Hiccup stopped and took a nervous step back.

"Uh, dad, Gobber, other scary looking Vikings," he began, earning the slightest smirks from me, "I'd like to say that in our defense, we cannot control Snotlout or the twins twenty four hours a day."

"This isn't about those jokers, kids," Gobber reassured us. "It's something really good!" He whispered the last part, though everyone heard it loud and clear. Stoick sighed before looking down at Hiccup.

"Now then, Hiccup, Alex, as you both know, Bork Week has begun," he explained. "The first one since we've made peace with the dragons. So it has been decided that from this moment forward, that all things dragon-related, including Bork's life's work, shall be entrusted to you and the Academy."

My eyes widened in disbelief as I exchanged looks with Hiccup. I may not know much about this Bork guy, but he was someone very important to the village. So something like this was a huge honor. A chest was placed on the table, and we were given the chance to get closer and look at it.

"This is where the Book of Dragons started," Gobber explained. Gobber opened the chest, and there were pages upon pages of information on all kinds of dragons, along with journals documenting their history. "Everything he ever wrote on the subject is in these; personal thoughts, feelings, fears, even some delicious recipes."

"Whoa. I… I don't know what to say," Hiccup managed to say.

"This is an honor," I finally replied. "Thank you, for including me." Gobber only smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. I couldn't help but look up and grin back. I never expected Stoick to trust me this much.

"Thank you dad. This is—" Hiccup began but Stoick cut him off.

"Son, this is a big part of our history," Stoick reminded him. "You and the dragons are a big part of our future. It's now up to you and Alex to take care of them both." He put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder before closing the chest. Gobber picked it up just as Hiccup was about to reach for it.

"Gobber!" Stoick scolded, but Gobber kept a firm grip on the chest. "Gobber!"

"Right," Gobber said after realizing what he was doing. Finally he let it go before looking at us in embarrassment. "They're yours now."

Hiccup exchanged another look with me before we left them.

...

Later that night we were at Hiccup's house, looking through the pages in the chest. It amazed me at how much detail Bork had written down. How did someone have so much time to take these notes without getting killed in the process?

"Whoa," Hiccup breathed as he eyed a piece of parchment. He then looked at me and Toothless, who was sitting behind me. "Just look at all of this. It's amazing!" Toothless then yawned, revealing that his teeth were retracted until they came out and he laid down next to me.

"I know," I added after taking a look at a page with words scribbled on it. "Some of this stuff is so old that I can barely read it."

Then I blushed in embarrassment when I realized that I was holding it upside down. In my defense I'm still getting used to the Norse language. Hiccup only smirked at me before picking up another journal and carefully flipped through it.

"These are his personal notes," he began. "Everything he ever learned about dragons is right here." He paused with a confused look until he tilted the journal in a few directions. "Along with some rather interesting sketches of his neighbors." He shuddered suddenly before closing the journal and putting it aside. "Can't unsee it."

"I wonder if there's anything in here about White Terrors?" I asked after digging through the journals. Hiccup noticed one of the journals I'd put aside and picked it up after looking at the cover. Once he opened it a few pages of folded paper had fallen out of it. "What are those pages on?"

"These papers are all on Night Fury's," Hiccup explained in amazement. He had to wave the pages around until they finally came apart. Curiosity got the better of me. I crawled over to his side and looked over his shoulder to see that he was right. "Toothless, it's all about you." Toothless looked up for a moment before laying his head back down. Like Snowfire, he didn't seem to mind being alone. "Bork didn't put any of this in the Book of Dragons."

"That's weird." I sat back and looked at the journal before glancing at Toothless. "I wonder why?" I then noticed that the pages had pictures of eggs and explained the evolution of the Night Fury.

"My studies lead me to conclude that an entire island exists teaming with Night Furies," Hiccup began reading it out loud. "I call this land the Isle of Night."

"An island… of Night Furies?" I asked doubtfully. It was possible. Given the fact that Vikings didn't explore too far from their home island, maybe there was such a place. Toothless decided at that moment to get up and join us. He began brushing against Hiccup with his head.

"Guys, we have to find that island," he announced. He tossed the pages away and rubbed Toothless' head affectionately. "We find that island, we find your family."

I couldn't help but feel some kind of doubt at that statement. But I only nodded in agreement. It was better to hope than not feel anything at all. That much I knew was true. Fortunately Hiccup didn't notice that I'd taken one of the journals in the chest.

It was a book written about dragons and their behaviors. Something that I've always been interested in. And judging by who wrote it, maybe Bork would know a thing or two about my 'gift', as some would call it. Either way it would make for an interesting read.

...

The next day we were on route to Bork's Cave. This island was full of them and I've never really done any cave exploring. Maybe in my spare time I'd have to try it someday. But for now, we were on a mission. It just took a bit of convincing to bring the others with us.

"So let me get this straight. In order to find this island, we have to check Bork's Cave?" Snotlout asked in annoyance.

"His last known residence," Fishlegs added in a voice full of awe.

"Who would live in a cave?" Astrid asked.

"Cavemen," I replied with a smirk. The look Astrid gave me was priceless. Jacob only gave me a knowing smirk. Thank goodness someone understood that reference. "What, nothing?" I rolled my eyes before looking on ahead. "Obviously Bork wanted some alone time," I muttered under my breath.

"Who _wouldn't_ want to live in a cave?" Tuffnut asked.

"There must be something about the Isle of Night and where we can find it," Hiccup explained.

"Bork's notes said his cave was cut into the mountain, right above Odin's shield," Fishlegs informed us.

' _I do not understand why this human would keep such information to himself_ ,' Snowfire suddenly growled as we flew on ahead.

"That's what I've been wondering," I told her in a whisper. "None of it makes sense." Just as I said that, Hiccup pointed towards the cave that was cut into the mountains.

"Right there! That must be it," Hiccup said. As we landed on the mountain, Tuffnut spoke up first.

"Um, so how do we know what we're looking for?"

"It's a cave," Astrid replied with a smirk. "Look for a big hole in the side of a mountain."

"Yeah, it's not that hard to spot," I added with a roll of my eyes.

"Hole. Check." I held back a groan as Tuffnut started looking around.

"Mountain, on it." Ruffnut wasn't making it any easier. The twins wandered off on Barf and Belch as they started searching for the cave.

"You know, we don't have to bring them every time," I pointed out. Then a deep moaning like call sounded. Everyone all put their hands over their ears until the sound died off. It was more the fact that it had happened that really startled me.

"What was that?" Fishlegs asked, looking in Snotlout's direction.

"That is a Changewing call, my friend," Snotlout said with a smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't know that."

"I would've if it sounded like one," Fishlegs retorted. "This is a Changewing." He then let out a high-pitched screech that made even the dragons uncomfortable.

' _Would you shut up already_?' Snowfire glared at Fishlegs as he looked at her apologetically.

"I don't think that's possible," Jacob grumbled.

"Bet you can't do the Thunderdrum," Snotlout continued taunting him.

"Puh-lease, at least make it a challenge." Fishlegs cupped his hands around his mouth before making a deep bellow, to which everyone covered their ears and glared.

"Fishlegs, quit it," Snotlout finally muttered.

"Ow!" Astrid complained, and by now even my ears were ringing.

"Okay, okay. Enough Fishlegs, that's good," Hiccup sighed after he could hear again. Fishlegs stopped and giggled like a kid in the candy shop. Toothless followed his rider, only to stop in his tracks when Hiccup noticed something. "Hey, I found an opening," he announced.

We all headed to the opening while still riding our dragons. All the while Snowfire complained about the steepness of the mountain, and that there were better things to do right now. I just rolled my eyes once again and was thankful only I could hear her complaining.

"That Bork was a dweeb, but boy, he could climb like a mountain goat," Snotlout muttered. Suddenly a loud booming sound echoed over the mountain. I stiffened at the noise, having recognized it anywhere.

"Fishlegs, I thought we agreed to ease up on the dragon calls," Hiccup said over his shoulder.

"Actually that wasn't me," Fishlegs explained. "I'm much more authentic."

' _That was a real Thunderdrum_ ,' Snowfire confirmed his explanation. I looked at her in surprise before seeing a Thunderdrum fly towards us. In seconds it had swooped right over us, narrowly missing crashing into us.

"You really want to tell that to it?" Astrid demanded.

"Head for the cave!" Hiccup ordered as it started attacking again. We all scrambled to the cave, but to our surprise it wasn't there anymore.

"Wait, what cave?" Ruffnut asked.

"We just saw it!" I exclaimed. "There was a hole."

"Yeah, and now the hole's gone," Tuffnut replied.

"But caves don't just disappear," I pointed out, suddenly feeling uneasy. What the hell was going on here?

"Apparently, this one does," Hiccup muttered. The Thunderdrum swooped down over us again; this time it was uncomfortably close. "Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, see if you can find the cave opening. We'll lure the Thunderdrum away." The four of them did as they were told and went off looking. "Fishlegs, Thunderdrum call!"

"I wish you would make up your mind," Fishlegs muttered. He took some time to clear his throat until we both yelled at him. Finally he made the Thunderdrum call, and of course it started giving chase.

"I could watch this all day," I whispered with a grin. Snowfire hummed in agreement as the Thunderdrum chased Fishlegs around.

"Okay. Little help here!" Fishlegs cried.

"Go and see what you can find," Astrid said. "We'll keep this guy busy."

"What about Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, pointing towards a Changewing that was playing around with him.

"Not feeling the trust!" Snotlout's voice echoed off the mountain. Astrid flew towards the twins.

"Ruff! Tuff!" she called their names.

"On it!" Ruffnut replied.

"You're giving me the twins?" Snotlout asked in disbelief. The Changewing banged him on the side of the mountain. "Okay! I'll take the twins!" I had to laugh at the sight. Watching Snotlout get beaten up by a dragon was priceless. It was times like this I really wish I had a camera.

"Go, we'll be fine," I reassured Hiccup as he looked at us doubtfully. Fortunately Toothless flew off as the two searched for Bork's Cave. Once they were gone our attention was turned back to the Thunderdrum.

It charged straight after Fishlegs, until Astrid made a call similar to the Thunderdrum. Once the Thunderdrum headed off towards her, Fishlegs let out a sigh of relief. Astrid flew out of the way just in time as the Thunderdrum stopped in it's tracks, right in front of me.

"What are you doing?" Astrid called as we locked eye contact.

"Great job Astrid, just made everything worse," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes as Sniper landed beside me.

The one thing I've learned about these dragons: It's to never startle them. And of course Astrid did just that. The Thunderdrum chose that moment to fly right past us and start bellowing it's sonic blasts into the mountain.

"Well that's just wonderful," I muttered under my breath. If Hiccup had found that cave than the Thunderdrum would likely attack him. It didn't take a genius to realize what the Thunderdrum was doing.

' _The hatchling will be trapped if the cave closes in on him_ ,' Snowfire advised me as we flew towards the Thunderdrum.

"Yeah, no kidding!" But it was too late. A rock had started caving in on itself, blocking the cave's only exit. "Hiccup's trapped!" I called after realizing what just happened.

"I'm in a tough spot myself," Snotlout said as the Changewing wrapped it's tail around his leg.

"I know you think our plan didn't work," said Tuffnut with a grin, "But believe me, the Changewing is playing right into our hands." Though it looked like he could care less about what happened to Snotlout.

The Changewing than started playing with Snotlout, using him as a yo-yo. I had to laugh at the sight. Snotlout really had a way with dragons. "Sorry, I don't believe you!" he shouted. Once he was face to face with the dragon he glared at it. "Stupid drag—" The Changewing suddenly released him before grabbing him again. Snotlout than made the mistake of punching it in the snout, this time making it angry in the process.

"Somebody call for backup?" Hiccup's voice made me jump in surprise as Meatlug fired a lava blast at the Thunderdrum.

"You made it!" I grinned as relief washed over my shoulders.

"Please don't ask me how, because I have no idea," he replied.

"You mind giving them a hand? I'll help Snotlout," I said as the Thunderdrum charged after Fishlegs. Hiccup nodded in agreement and had Toothless fire a plasma blast at the Thunderdrum. Once he took over, Snowfire flew over to where Snotlout was. "Awe, you made a new friend."

I smirked as Snotlout glared back and tried offering some Dragon Nip to the Changewing. It only held on to Snotlout and sneezed the grass right back into his face. Unfortunately it also dropped Snotlout in the process. As he fell down into the canyon, Hookfang flew by just in time to catch him.

"Now that's how you rescue somebody!" Snotlout shouted, glaring at the twins as they just watched on.

"Hey, everything went exactly as planned," Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, keep the Changewing busy until someone shows up," Ruffnut added.

"Good boy," I cooed as the Changewing licked me on the cheek and flew off. Snotlout only glared at me as we headed back to Berk. We flew on in silence until Snowfire fell in beside Toothless. "I still can't believe you guys survived that cave-in," I murmured.

"Neither can I," Hiccup admitted. "I mean, it was all Toothless. He made this weird sound that bounced back towards us and he used it to find his way out." I looked at Hiccup in surprise until recognizing what he had described.

"I don't get it. How do you use sound to guide you?" Fishlegs asked in confusion.

"I do it all the time," Snotlout laughed. "Whenever I hear your voice, I go the other way."

"I bet that Night Fury's can fly in the darkness like bats," I explained warily.

Did Vikings know about echo location? I wasn't entirely sure, but bats were a good start. Dolphins and other aquatic animals could use it as well to communicate with one another and as hunting techniques.

"So, did you find anything?" Astrid asked in a hopeful tone.

"Only a map. To the Isle of Night," Hiccup replied with a grin.

"Nice! When do we leave?" I asked.

"First thing tomorrow morning," Hiccup explained. He patted Toothless on the head. "By this time tomorrow, bud, you are going to be knee-deep in Night Furies."

I had to hide my own doubt as we flew back to the village. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something off about those pages Hiccup had found. Why would Bork keep them from the Book of Dragons? What secret was he hiding?

...

Snowfire flew high in the sky later that night. I couldn't sleep, and apparently, neither could she. So it was just the two of us. And I was reading the book that I had taken from Bork's chest of treasures. It was difficult to read, but Snowfire had helped with that. Her scales reflected off the moonlight, almost giving the impression that they were glowing. Fortunately her scales provided enough light for me to read the pages.

"This is amazing," I whispered as she flew in at a lazy angle. "Bork has information on people like me."

' _And what do you mean by that_?' Snowfire asked.

"I mean, that there are other people who have the ability to bond with dragons," I explained warily. "Or, there _were_ other people like me." I bit the bottom of my lip as I read the last few lines. "According to Bork the people with this ability were killed on the spot, because they were thought of as 'demons', or something along those lines."

A shudder ran through me as I realized how lucky I was. Had I been stuck in this world at an earlier time, the people on this island might have killed me. Of course I still had that possibility. But the odds weren't as high now.

' _The humans did not understand their abilities_ ,' Snowfire growled.

I nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling sick. That might explain why I was somehow brought to this world. It just didn't explain how Jacob and Jessica were drawn in. I wished there was a better explanation. Maybe than we could figure out a way back to our world.

"I should probably tell Hiccup about this," I murmured as I ran a hand through my hair. The thought made me feel uncomfortable. "Or maybe I'll keep it a secret." Then I read the last section of the book out loud as it fell awkwardly silent, "'According to my studies, the people that are born with these abilities are often known to draw dragons to the village'."

' _It makes sense_.' Snowfire paused as something flew towards us. I quickly closed the book and put it back in the hiding place on Snowfire's saddle before turning to see who it was. My heart nearly skipped a beat when a pair of yellow eyes shown through the darkness.

"Hiccup!" My voice nearly cracked when I shouted his name, causing Toothless to stop in his tracks. "What the hell? Why are you out so late?" Hiccup was equally surprised to see me as Snowfire and Toothless hovered face-to-face.

"Sorry, I uh… needed some time on my own," he stammered as he tried to make up an explanation. To which I just rolled my eyes and folded my arms.

"You _do_ realize that you're a terrible liar, right?" I reminded him. Thankfully Hiccup only sighed before spilling the beans.

"Look, from what I read in one of Bork's journals, Night Fury's are extremely territorial to any dragon except their own kind," he explained. "I was afraid that… if the others joined us they would get attacked."

I let out a sigh of relief before narrowing my eyes. "So you thought that going off on your own would be a good idea?" I asked with the slightest hint of annoyance. I could see the logic in his reasoning. But it didn't make things any better. I knew how the other riders would feel when they found out.

"Look, can we please just drop it?" He was getting impatient. It showed in Toothless as the Night Fury tried getting past Snowfire, who blocked his path with her massive wings. She only glared back, causing Toothless to stop once more.

"If you're going to an island with hostile dragons, don't you think it would be a good idea to have someone who can bond with them?" I resisted the urge to glare, suddenly realizing how important this was to Hiccup. Finding a family for Toothless meant everything to him at the moment. And for a moment Hiccup just locked eye contact with me before sighing in frustration.

"Okay, I guess you have a point there," he muttered. I couldn't resist smiling in satisfaction when he gave in. "But we'll have to be careful. I don't want the others finding out about this."

With that being said, the two of us flew off towards the Isle of Night.

...

It was morning when the other riders had woken up to get ready for their trip. Jacob was just finished packing his saddle with extra snacks when Astrid noticed something was wrong.

"Where's Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, noticing that something was off as well.

"And Alex for that matter?" Jacob added after realizing she was gone as well. Though that really wasn't all too surprising for him.

"It is morning, right?" Tuffnut asked.

"He wouldn't," Astrid grumbled under her breath. It wouldn't surprise her if he went off on his own. Especially when it came to finding a family for Toothless.

"He would," Fishlegs muttered in agreement.

They flew out of the arena and towards Hiccup's house. Ruffnut and Tuffnut went over to see if Alex was awake yet, seeing as she would more than likely know where Hiccup was too. Once Astrid entered the house she saw Stoick working on a wood carving that resembled a duck.

"We're sorry to bother you, sir," Astrid apologized once he looked up at them.

"Oh, it's no problem, Astrid," Stoick replied as he looked back at the duck carving. "Just doing my morning woodwork. It's quite relaxing."

"Um, chief, have you seen Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

Well, I woke up and he was already gone," Stoick explained. "Should I tell him you two were looking for him?"

"How about we just leave him a note in his room," Astrid suggested.

"Ah, well, be my guest," Stoick replied.

The two of them then walked up the stairs as Stoick resumed his wood carving. When the two of them arrived, Meatlug was already there waiting for them. Astrid narrowed her eyes when she picked up the notebook that Hiccup usually kept with him.

"Hiccup must have copied the map from his notebook… fortunately," she sighed irritably. When was Hiccup going to learn that he couldn't do this alone?

"Yes!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"I'd still like to know why Hiccup decided to go out on his own," Astrid muttered. She looked out the windows to see Jacob had returned empty-handed. A scowl was written across his face, a look she had gotten used to when he was alone.

"Alex is gone too," he muttered crossly.

"This just got more interesting," Fishlegs whispered when Astrid's eyes narrowed with annoyance.

...

The sun was already rising by the time we arrived on the Isle of Night. Once we landed we started looking around immediately, after convincing Snowfire to give us some space. That in itself was a monumental task.

"I promise to warn you if anything happens," I whispered as I gave her a reassuring hug. Snowfire only snorted before taking off. She began circling the island, but kept a distance just in case there actually were Night Furies around.

"Relax, bud," Hiccup said to Toothless as he crooned out of uneasiness. I didn't miss how tense he looked as he watched us. "Trust me, if this map is right, we're going to like what we find here." Toothless ran ahead for a bit and stopped when they reached an empty, mountainous terrain. "Are you ready?" I watched with wariness as Hiccup looked at Toothless hopefully. "Here we go."

He cupped his hands around his mouth and made a call similar to that of a Night Fury. After a second or two had passed, an answering call echoed across the island from a distance. My eyes narrowed with sudden interest as I looked on.

"I can't believe it! Did you hear that?" Hiccup asked, looking at Toothless and than at me.

"I guess Bork was right," I replied. Though I still couldn't hide my doubt. That call had been a little too convenient for my liking. But seeing the hope in Toothless' eyes had changed my mind all too quickly. Hiccup than got off of Toothless and patted him on the shoulder.

"Go get him," he said. Toothless leaped forward and approached the Night Fury cautiously. But then he stopped and looked back at us. "It's okay. Go, go. I'm right behind you," Hiccup reassured him. Toothless then started walking ahead, but was blocked by a rock wall.

"Something's not right," I suddenly whispered as a sense of unease crawled over me. It felt like someone was watching us. And I knew that it wasn't Snowfire.

"Toothless, come back!" Hiccup called after realizing that I was right. Toothless turned and started running towards us, but a bola was shot out of nowhere and wrapped around his feet, knocking him off. "Toothless, no!"

Hiccup had already started running after Toothless when out of nowhere an Outcast soldier pinned him to the ground. I held back a gasp of shock until someone grabbed me by the arm. The others were already trying to subdue Toothless as an all too familiar face appeared in front of us.

"Alvin." I practically spit at the name as he grinned at us triumphantly. Then more Outcasts began moving the Night Fury, that turned out to be a decoy. Savage appeared from behind it, holding a horn in his hands. I had no doubt that he was the one who made the Night Fury call.

"Amazingly realistic, wouldn't you say?" Alvin asked.

"Let him go!" Hiccup shouted as he struggled to free himself from the Outcast's grip. "What do you want?"

"I want me own dragon trainers. And by the looks of it, I've got two." Alvin's smirk grew wider as he looked at me like I was his prey. "And better yet, I've got the lass who can bond with dragons," he added in a sneer.

"I'm not going to train your dragons, Alvin," Hiccup snapped.

"And you've already got my answer," I added in a scathing voice. I truly would rather die than work for this bastard.

"Oh, I think you will," Alvin sneered. "And once you have, I will use them to destroy Berk." He then turned to the Outcasts. "Take them."

Two of the Outcasts trying to drag me away received a few blows to the shin and stomach. It took three more to finally take me down and drag me away.

"I don't understand! How did you do this?" Hiccup demanded as the Outcast lifted him up by the shoulder. The Outcast managed to tie him up, just as the other three were finished tying me up in ropes. And of course I didn't see this coming as we were thrown onto Alvin's ship.

Things got even worse when we saw another familiar face on Alvin's ship. A face that made me want to throw up right than and there.

"Mildew, what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"Ah, look at you two," Mildew chuckled darkly as he glared at us both. "Two of the brightest kids on the island, and yet here you are, trapped by a silly old man and his sheep." I started throwing curses at him until one of the Outcasts kicked me to the floor. Hiccup's eyes widened in alarm, but Mildew stopped him from rushing over to help.

"How could you do this?" he demanded. Meanwhile I was clutching my leg as I winced in pain from the kick. God, this day just kept getting better and better. Mildew only chuckled once more as he looked down at the two of us.

"You did this, Hiccup," he replied. "You believed our Bork notes, you followed the map we drew, you walked right into our trap. All for the love of dragons." He sneered before glaring at me. "And this brat of a girl was foolish enough to follow you," he added. "Maybe next time you'll think about where you place your loyalty."

"You? Loyal? That's a load of bull," I managed to say as Mildew's eyes narrowed with hate. He was ready to swing his staff at me when Alvin stopped him.

"There won't be a next time," he announced after pushing the old bastard aside. "Raise the sails! We're headed to Outcast Island!" The sails fell against the wind as the ship headed towards Outcast Island.

Dread washed over me when I realized what was about to happen. Unless Snowfire found us, or the dragon riders found us, we were screwed.

* * *

 **AN: Well, I realized this chapter was full of mistakes so I went around editing it best as I could. Hopefully, it isn't too choppy. Also, I apologize for the long delay. I've been busy trying to write future chapters as well as posting chapters for the Paradigm. ^^**

 **Retrokill - Thanks!**

 **KupcakeKrazed101 - That's awesome! Family is forever, always ;) And if you don't get that reference, watch Dolphin Tale :P Yeah, it's about time Fishlegs got some backbone. He's just as sensitive in the books too.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - It's fun having everyone on Berk kick his butt :P I would, but I'm not sure that would end well for either of them... Fungus might win that battle XD**


	32. We Are Family, Part II

**Chapter Thirty Two**

My head was still spinning from today's events, until I remembered where I was. Outcast Island. I couldn't believe that I was back here. The thought made me feel like I was going to be sick. Alvin had me locked up in a cell. This time it was smaller than the last one. And to make matters worse, Hiccup was captured as well.

Finally the door to my cell swung open. I looked up in time to see an Outcast standing at the entrance with a grin on his face. Without warning I sprung to my feet and started charging at him, until the Outcast grabbed hold of my shoulder and pushed me down, hard.

"Alvin said you might try that trick," he sneered as I forced back a cry of pain. "You ain't goin' nowhere kid." I could only glare daggers at him as he dragged me away. My shoulder still felt like it was on fire, despite the fact that his attack had lasted only a second.

The Outcast led me to where the dragons were being kept in cages. I felt a chill run down my back as I looked through the barred doors. They were chained and held down to prevent any hopes of escape. It was a pitiful sight, and I only felt more anger burn through me as we passed them.

"Where's my dragon, Alvin?" Hiccup's voice caught my attention. "And where are you hiding Alex?" Alvin was standing next to Savage, a look of annoyance all over his face. Until he noticed me. The Outcast kept a firm hand on my shoulder when Hiccup noticed who Alvin was staring at.

"You'll see you're dragon soon enough, don't worry," Alvin sneered after the Outcast shoved me forward. "As for you, I've got something special in mind. I hope you like spending time with those dragons; they've got a lot bonding to catch up with." I was ready to say something in my defense when Hiccup beat me to it.

"You know, I have to admit, luring us to the Isle of Night, building that fake Night Fury, not bad," he suddenly rambled on. Alvin only frowned in confusion as I gave him a 'What are you doing?' look. Hiccup just gave me the faintest nods before I realized what he was doing.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone else could think of a plan like that," I added.

"Not bad, the two say," Alvin chuckled as he glared down at us.

"But turning Mildew into an Outcast? Using him against us? Come on, Alvin, that's low-hanging fruit, even for you," Hiccup added. I had to hope that Hiccup knew what he was getting himself, and me into. I'd gotten out of tougher situations than this, but something told me things were about to get worse.

"No one thinks you're funny, boy. Now keep moving," Savage growled after Alvin slapped him across the face. I had to wince at the sight, and it left me suddenly wondering why Savage was working for such a bastard.

"Besides, I had a feeling he was working for you," I spoke up again.

"Still didn't help you," Alvin sneered. We were led passed a Whispering Death tied down by ropes.

A couple of Outcasts were struggling to keep hold of a Whispering Death. The same one that had nearly bitten of my head. All I could do was glare when it looked at me. The Outcasts cried out in surprise as it struggled against it's ropes and burrowed into the ground, emerging moments later a few feet away from us.

"You know it's going to keep doing that, right?" Hiccup asked, suddenly noticing what it was really doing. "It is a Whispering Death." Savage only grunted and shoved him forward, while keeping a hand on my shoulder.

Then we passed a Scauldron that was busy drinking water. It looked over at us and spit boiling hot water at one of the Outcasts. My heart nearly skipped a beat when the Scauldron gave me one look before bowing it's head.

"Heh, maybe we should just keep ya with the dragons from now on," Alvin sneered after noticing the exchange. Oh how I wanted to cut off that head of his. Every word that came out of his mouth made me feel like I was going to be sick.

"A Scauldron, impressive," Hiccup said when awkward silence followed. I hadn't missed the glare that he sent Alvin. Fortunately Alvin was too oblivious to notice. "You might want to cut back its water."

"Oy, write that down," Alvin said to one of his Outcast men. The Scauldron was giving us a strange look. Alvin took the chance and fled before it could decide to attack him. I glanced over my shoulder and looked at the Scauldron apologetically.

I really did wish there was something I could do to help free it. Once we were far enough away, we came across another cage that appeared to be empty. Though I already knew without having to look what it was.

"It's escaped again!" an Outcast soldier called.

"Actually, no. It's right behind you," Hiccup explained. "Changewing." He nodded as the dragon appeared seconds later and sprayed acid at the cell door.

"Wow, you guys really don't have a handle on dragons, do you?" I asked.

"Well, that's why you two are here," Alvin replied. "Welcome to your new jobs." Alvin pushed him along while Savage shoved me forward.

"A job, me?" Hiccup asked with sudden interest. "As inviting as that sounds, I'm going to have to pass."

"You already know my answer," I added with a glare.

"Why must you make things difficult?" Alvin asked after shaking his head in disappointment.

"Not really the first time I've been asked that question," Hiccup said flatly. Alvin only responded with another chuckle before leading us towards another cell. What I saw next nearly made my heart skip a beat again.

Toothless was being held inside the cell. He was bound by leather ropes that held him up in the air. What struck me the most though was the chains keeping him from struggling free. "Toothless," I whispered. The Night Fury opened his eyes, and when he spotted Hiccup he began thrashing around, growling in frustration when he realized that wasn't doing him much good.

"Hang-Hang in there, bud. I'll get you out," Hiccup called reassuringly.

"He's not goin' anywhere, and neither are you," Alvin snapped. "You _will_ help me train those dragons, one way or another."

"And if we don't?" Hiccup demanded.

"Well then, they're no good to me. None of them! Especially yours," Alvin replied in a mocking tone. My eyes narrowed with fury. No one treated Toothless, or any other dragon, that way. Not as long as I still had fight left in me. I suddenly charged at Alvin, startling everyone as I swung a fist straight at his face. Alvin saw the attack coming and grabbed me by the wrist, squeezing enough to send a jolt of pain through me. "I'd watch your actions, little girl," he sneered. "You don't have that White Terror of yours to back you up, this time."

"Next time I'll just let her rip your throat out," I growled, only to wince as Alvin squeezed harder.

"Let her go!" Hiccup's cry cut through the air like a sword. Alvin looked at the boy in shock as Savage instinctively backed away. He knew all too well not to get in Hiccup's way when he was angry. Toothless let out a crooning sound of worry, surprised by the ferocity in his rider's shout. "You let her go now, Alvin," he added in a dangerously low tone.

For once, Alvin's face paled as he released his grip on my wrist. Relief washed over me the moment he let go. Red marks could be seen on my wrist where he'd clamped down on it, and I was sure he might have broken it. Luckily though Alvin had understood the meaning behind Hiccup's warning.

...

A few more minutes passed before we were taken to our cells. Of course Alvin had to separate us.

"Can I get you anything? Food, a cozy blanket? Warm yak's milk?" Savage gave a mocking laugh after slamming the cell doors shut. I let out a sigh once we were left alone and leaned against the wall.

"Well, this day couldn't get any worse," I muttered crossly.

"Alex?" Hiccup's voice sounded through the wall. I held back another sigh, relieved that we were at least next to each other.

"Yeah?" was all I could ask.

"I'm sorry, for getting us into this mess." Shame and guilt crawled through me when he said that. I should have known that this was a trap. All the red flags were showing at the time, and I chose to ignore it. "We're getting out of here, one way or another," he promised. "I won't let them hurt you or Toothless."

I wrapped my arms around my knees when I realized just how dangerous this was. Why did I keep putting myself through situations like this?

...

Meanwhile a small band of dragons riders along with Stoick and Gobber were flying towards the Isle of Night. Since they understood how dangerous this mission was, Stoick had volunteered happily to lead them with Hiccup and Alex gone.

"The Isle of Night; finally the chance to see Night Furies in their natural habitat. I'm busting at the seams," Fishlegs breathed in excitement.

"Don't wet yourself," Snotlout muttered. "I'm right behind you."

Astrid noticed just how worried Jacob was as he flew further away from the rest. She'd learned in the short time of meeting him that he cared about that girl. To the point that he was willing to keep her secrets from the rest of the gang with his life.

"You okay?" she asked warily.

"I'll just be happy knowing she's safe," he replied, not meeting her questioning gaze. "Ever since we were kids she's always put herself in danger. But this is completely different. It's like she's a different person here."

"I blame Hiccup," she said meekly, earning a look of surprise from him. "He brings out the worst in everyone, and the best."

Jacob only smirked at that, realizing that Astrid was right. Though he hated to admit it, Hiccup was good for Alex. She needed someone who was willing to make things right and defend his friends at all costs. He just wished that he could have seen that sooner.

"Me and Gobber will check the north side of the island," Stoick explained once they landed. "You kids take the south. If we find anything, you'll hear it from Thornado." Once he and Gobber flew off, Astrid was left in charge of the group.

"Alright, this place will be covered in Night Furies," she announced in a tone of authority. "So let's fly low until we get a sense of where Hiccup and Toothless might be, and how many Night Furies there are." They then flew off towards the island.

...

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since we were thrown into our cells. I could hear Hiccup picking away at the lock as we waited for what Alvin would do next.

"Alvin! I gave you what you wanted. We had a deal!" I rolled my eyes at the all-too-familiar voice that belonged to Mildew. He could rot away on a lonely island for all I cared. For all I knew we were in this mess because of that asshole. And I wasn't about to change my mind on that attitude when I watched Alvin and Savage drag him to a cell.

"I didn't like the deal, so I changed it," Alvin replied.

"Oh, I do believe you all know each other. Don't get too clumsy," Savage sneered as he threw Mildew into Hiccup's cell. "Mildew's hours are numbered, much like you kids and that Night Fury." Alvin then approached Mildew with a wicked grin on his face before he snatched Fungus away.

I snorted at the whole scene, not really believing what I saw. Mildew was distraught when Alvin took away Fungus. A sheep of all things. After everything Mildew had done to us I wasn't in any hurry to feel sorry for him. Fungus, however, I did feel sorry for.

"No, Fungus! What are you doing with me Fungus?" Mildew demanded after Alvin snatched the sheep away.

"Preparing your final meal. It's lamb," Alvin replied with a smirk. The door shut on Mildew as the Outcasts turned to leave.

"Fungus! No!" Mildew cried and reached out through the bars.

"Hairy Hooligans, still as dumb as the day I left," Alvin said.

After listening to that whole scenario, I knew for a fact that something was off. Mildew fit in perfectly with the Outcasts. So why would their deal suddenly go south? Unless they had something else planned. Which made me all the more suspicious. Either way, I wasn't planning on trusting Mildew so easily.

...

The dragon riders continued searching the island for any signs of Night Furies. But so far they had come out empty handed. Astrid was flying alongside Fishlegs, Jacob and Snotlout when they spotted something down below. Her eyes widened when she recognized the large, yet familiar shape of a Night Fury.

"Night Fury!" she gasped. "Let's check it out!" They flew down towards the seemingly realistic Night Fury. But as they got closer Astrid soon realized that it was fake. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Uh, guys, this isn't a—"

"Night Fury!" Tuffnut's voice called before the fake Night Fury was blown up.

"But it is realistic," Fishlegs commented as he picked up a piece.

"But the question is, what's it doing here?" Astrid asked, suddenly getting suspicious. Why would there be a fake Night Fury on an island that supposedly was home to Night Furies? Unless…. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had broken her thoughts when they landed beside their group.

"Something tells me that it was used as a decoy," Jacob mused thoughtfully. The others looked at him in confusion. Just who would be smart enough to use a Night Fury as a decoy?

"Good thing we came along when we did," Tuffnut said.

"What were you thinking?" Astrid suddenly yelled. "If that was Toothless you could have killed him!"

"Yeah, well, if my chicken had horns he'd be a yak," Tuffnut retorted.

"And if I were weak and girly, I'd be my mother," Ruffnut added.

"Yeah!" Tuffnut paused and after a few seconds realized what Ruffnut had said. "Wait, what?" That was when a huge roar sounded from the distance. It didn't take a genius to recognize the call of a Thunderdrum. When the Thunderdrum landed nearby, Gobber and Stoick approached the group cautiously.

"We saw a Zippleback fire from the sky," Stoick explained as he walked towards them. "Did you find something?"

"We did," Astrid replied after glancing at the others uneasily. "A fake Night Fury."

"That they decided to blow up," Jacob added with a roll of his eyes, referring to the twins and their antics.

"Where is it?" Stoick demanded.

"Uh, gone. Blown up to pieces, actually," Fishlegs replied in a nervous tone.

He showed Stoick the fake Night Fury piece that was left on the ground. Stoick turned and glared at the twins, already guessing who had done it. The twins just sat back on Barf and Belch like nothing was wrong.

"Ah, well, what do we have here?" Gobber asked as he took the piece from Fishlegs. He gave it one sniff and held it up to Fishlegs. "Smell this," he said. Fishlegs did as he was told and gave the object a careful sniff. The scent nearly made him gag. "Nasty, isn't it?"

"Oh, I want to smell it!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "Put it near my face."

"Well, this false head was made from dragon skin and covered with ash from a charred Loki tree," Gobber told them.

"Loki tree, never heard of it," Snotlout said.

"Hate to say it, Snotlout, but we have seen them before," Astrid reminded him.

"Astrid's right. They only grow in one place," Stoick nodded in agreement.

"Outcast Island," Gobber announced in a grim tone.

"Oh no, Hiccup and Alex are on Outcast island," Fishlegs murmured after realizing what that meant.

Jacob's eyes widened in alarm at that realization. If Alvin and his men did anything to hurt Alex, he would tear them apart limb by limb.

"But what would the Outcasts be doing here?" Astrid asked. Suddenly a roar sounded from the distance; it was an eerie sound that made everyone shudder. Astrid's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the familiar outline of a White Terror flying towards them.

"Better grab your shields, she doesn't look happy," Gobber said after noticing how fast the dragon was flying. Finally Snowfire landed in front of them, letting out a snarl of anger as she glared at the group.

' _It was a trap_!' she hissed when everyone took a step back. Even the other dragons looked uneasy. ' _The humans have taken them_!"

"It makes sense…" Astrid paused as everyone gave her weird looks. "I mean, the notices that Bork had on Night Furies. From what I read on those diary pages in Hiccup's room, Night Furies are supposed to be hostile towards other dragons. Why didn't he put it in the Book of Dragons?"

"You know, I thought the same thing," Fishlegs said after giving her speculation some thought. He suddenly pulled out the Book of Dragons, reading over the pages and than the pages that Astrid had taken with her. "Have a closer look at Bork's notes, and what's in the Book of Dragons… doesn't something seem off?"

Astrid read over the pages carefully while the others just looked on awkwardly. Reading wasn't exactly their kind of thing, and Jacob had never taken the time to learn Norse like Alex.

"The Night Fury pages are written in different handwriting," Astrid realized after reading for a few minutes. "That means someone planted those pages so Hiccup would find them and come here. And Alex just happened to go with him?" Astrid looked at Snowfire accusingly as the dragon only glared back.

' _We were already flying when the other hatchling showed up_ ,' she retorted. ' _There was an older human with the ones you call 'Outcasts'_ ," she suddenly added when Astrid was ready to argue. Almost at once Astrid had already guessed what Snowfire meant by 'older human'.

"Wait, does she mean Mildew? 'Cause he's the only old guy I can think of right now," Snotlout said.

' _That is because you rarely think_ ,' Snowfire muttered with a roll of her eyes. Snotlout only scowled at her while everyone else gasped in disbelief.

"But Mildew? He hates dragons. He wouldn't join the Outcasts," Gobber said thoughtfully.

"But don't you think it's a strange coincidence that the Outcasts attached Berk just after the armory got destroyed?" Astrid pointed out.

"Or the fact that he hates Alex so much," Jacob added under his breath. That part he never did understand. Why an old man would go out of his way to hating someone for something she never did was beyond his reasoning.

"Now that you mention it, it was a bit strange," Fishlegs replied.

"But Alvin didn't know that it was Hiccup who saved Berk," Astrid suddenly added. She was more confused now than ever. What was the truth?

"Well, would you believe that Hiccup could kill the Red Death, before he met Toothless?" Gobber asked.

"No, not in a million years," Snotlout replied with a shrug.

"And now that I think about it, Mildew had the perfect opportunity to put those fake notes in, when I fixed left the chest to fix his wagon wheel," Gobber muttered in realization.

"Never mind about Mildew," Stoick told them. "Right now, we have to rescue Hiccup and Alex."

...

I've just about had it with this damned Outcast Island. Twice already Alvin had me taken out of my prison cell. Twice already he had tried testing the Whispering Death on me. And of course every time he tried it failed miserably. The Whispering Death had already tried killing me more than once in one day.

By the time he was finished with me his Outcast soldiers threw me back into the prison cell. I hadn't missed the fact that Hiccup was busy digging away in his cell, desperate to find a way out. Mildew was watching the whole thing while leaning against the wall, sighing in frustration.

"Really, this is so hard to watch," Mildew said.

"What now?" Hiccup asked.

"I just thought Stoick raised a smarter boy than this," Mildew replied nonchalantly. "You'll never save your dragon by sitting in this cell, digging in the dirt. You need to go get him soon!" I wasn't sure what surprised me more. That Mildew was actually talking, or that he actually wanted Hiccup to save Toothless.

"Since when do you care about dragons?" I muttered under my breath.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Hiccup demanded, sounding more irritated than usual.

"By giving Alvin what he wants." Mildew's words made me want to slug him in the mouth.

But he did have a good point. If we could befriend one of the dragons here, they may help us escape with Toothless. For a moment an eerie silence followed. I already knew that Hiccup was thinking of what Mildew had said.

About an hour had passed while I kept an eye out for anyone who might check in on us. I was surprised Alvin hadn't taken me out again. Then again he was probably tired of watching the dragons refuse to listen. I let out a sigh when an Outcast guard finally walked past our cells.

"Guard, guard! I can't take it! Please!" Hiccup shouted in a desperate voice. I just looked on in disbelief until I realized what he was doing. "I'll tell Alvin whatever he wants to know, just let me out of here."

I watched with interest as the Outcast began to unlock the door. But what he didn't notice was that Hiccup had removed his prosthetic leg. I hid a knowing smirk when Hiccup suddenly smacked the Outcast guard in the side.

But the guard wasn't knocked out. Instead he only stood up and growled.

"That worked a little better in my head," Hiccup muttered.

The Outcast guard was about to run towards him, but Mildew's staff reached out and pulled him back to the bars with a loud clanging sound, knocking him out quickly. The key slid slowly to Hiccup's foot shortly after. He leaned over and picked it up, then looked back at Mildew.

"Wow, thanks," he said after putting back on his prosthetic leg. Once he freed himself he unlocked my cell and pulled me in for a hug. "Are you okay?" he asked after noticing a few cuts and bruises. I barely even noticed them until now.

"I'll be fine once we're out of here," I replied. We started running down the hall until Mildew shouted again.

"Wait, take me with you!" he pleaded.

"You're kidding me, right?" Hiccup groaned in annoyance. The last thing I would ever do was trust Mildew again. He could rot away in prison for the rest of his life for all I cared.

"No, I know how to get around the island," Mildew explained after shaking his head. "I can help you, please. Let me make it up to you."

"I think I'd rather take my chances with the Whispering Death," I muttered under my breath.

Hiccup let out a sigh when he glanced back at Mildew, who was staring at us with a pleading look. At one time I might have been swayed by that look. But now I just wanted to ignore him for the rest of my life and move on.

"We can't just leave him here," Hiccup sighed once more before he approached Mildew's cell. I folded my arms and glared at Mildew as he opened the cell door. "Don't make us regret this, Mildew."

As soon as Mildew was released we started running down the hall. Hopefully we could find our way out, before Alvin discovered that we were gone. It didn't take us long to reach the outside. The only downside: We had to keep hiding behind rocks while the guards passed by us.

I could hear dragons in the area, and peered over the rock in time to see a few in what looked like a field of lava.

"What's the quickest way to get to the dragons?" Hiccup asked after pulling Mildew aside. Mildew looked around before pointing his staff towards the lava field.

"Through that lava field."

"Let's go," I said. Hiccup was about to follow me, but Mildew's staff flew out in front of us.

"Ah, you do realize that those are wild dragons down there?" he asked.

"Yeah, got any better ideas?" I asked before running ahead. Hiccup was quick to follow with Mildew close behind, grumbling under his breath the entire time.

Once we approached the area I let out a sigh of relief. Rocky fields seemed to be a dragon's best friend, especially when pools of lava were scattered across it. A Monstrous Nightmare was fighting with a Deadly Nadder over a bone. Nearby I saw a Gronckle growling as another got too close.

"Well, come on then. Let's go," Hiccup said after watching them for a moment.

"Uh, let's not," Mildew retorted. Fear showed in his eyes. Real fear. For the first time I actually did feel a little sorry for him. But only a little. I wasn't about to forgive him so easily for what he did to us.

"Would you rather stay here and get eaten?" I asked with a smirk. Mildew was ready to make another retort when Hiccup stopped us both.

"We know what we're doing, Mildew," Hiccup reassured him. "Just stay close with us." God I wished I had Hiccup's patience. Honestly I would've just left Mildew behind by now.

"Perfect, a ninety pound boy and a bratty girl acting as my shield," Mildew muttered under his breath. I only rolled my eyes as I walked on ahead.

Once Mildew had gotten up, Hiccup led him quickly through the field. The dragons just looked up and stared at us as we walked past. An orange and dark green Deadly Nadder had approached us and outstretched it's wings, letting out a warning growl.

Mildew was ready to throw his staff at the Nadder when I held out my hand. The old man's eyes widened in disbelief as the Nadder sniffed my hand cautiously before nudging it.

"There's a good boy," I murmured as he crooned affectionately. "You have to show them that they can trust you," I explained as Mildew's jaw had nearly gaped open. Hiccup had done the same thing by approaching the Nadder cautiously.

"Very impressive," Mildew said after shaking off the surprise. He picked up his staff, and the Nadder jumped at him in order to examine him. Mildew cried out in fear as the Nadder stared down at him.

"Really, he's just getting to know you," Hiccup added. "They can sense your fear, so try to relax." Mildew was standing up straight, and even from a distance I could see how tense he was.

"This is relaxed," he snapped in a strained voice. The Deadly Nadder than did something completely unexpected. He nudged Mildew with his head playfully, seeking attention.

"Awe, he wants to be friends with you." I had to laugh at the sight. "Isn't that nice?" Mildew's expression was priceless as the Nadder continued nudging him.

"I've got plenty of friends," Mildew retorted.

"We're going to need a way past those dragons," Hiccup said once Mildew tried pushing the Nadder away. I already had my own plans, but any ways of getting revenge on Mildew would be fine by me. "And I think we just found it," he added with a sly grin.

"Eh, what?" Mildew asked in confusion. The Deadly Nadder than suddenly licked him, and Mildew suddenly understood where Hiccup was getting at.

"Remember, dragon training begins and ends with trust," Hiccup reminded Mildew as he stood up, still holding on to his staff. "Both of yours." He took hold of Mildew's hand and placed it on the Deadly Nadder's snout. "Now climb on."

"Huh?" Mildew looked at Hiccup as if he had grown wings.

Hiccup climbed onto the Deadly Nadder after that, and I was quick to follow. Mildew began to mutter under his breath again as he tried climbing onto the Nadder's back, only to fall off twice. How the Nadder was able to hold our weight, I'd never understand. But finally Mildew managed to push himself up and was sitting behind me, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Wow. Uh, Mildew on a dragon," Hiccup said in disbelief. "This will take some getting used to."

The Deadly Nadder suddenly began to shift it's weight around. "Eh, why it's doing that? What's happening?" Mildew asked as he clutched on to me for dear life.

"It's okay," Hiccup repeated himself two more times as Mildew looked around fearfully. "He's just never had people on him before," he explained once Mildew had calmed down a little. "A dragon's hide is dry," he added after spitting in his hand to rub it on the Nadder's neck. "Use moisture from your hands to soothe him."

The Deadly Nadder squawked in pleasure when it realized we weren't a threat. Mildew had done the same, reminding me once again how thankful I was that I didn't have to do this. Once it took off Mildew held onto me once again.

"Better let me go, Mildew, or I might just throw you off," I muttered under my breath. Mildew's only response was to squeeze tighter, forcing me to lean over so that my chin was resting on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Mildew replied. I held back a sigh of frustration as we flew towards the dragon pit.

"That's where they're keeping Toothless," Hiccup pointed it out first.

We flew down through a tunnel that looked like it was carved by a Whispering Death. Once we reached the cells we got off of the Deadly Nadder. By than I had to shove Mildew to the ground after he was still holding on to me.

We ran over to the cell where Toothless was being held, only to find it empty.

"Toothless is gone," I said in confusion.

"Alvin must have moved him," Mildew groaned.

Just then the cages holding the Scauldron and the Changewing opened. The Deadly Nadder that we'd befriended crawled behind us out of fear. I resisted the urge to smack Mildew across the head when I looked up to see Alvin standing over us. Most likely the bastard had planned this entire thing.

"Let's see what you two can deal with real wild dragons," Alvin sneered. He then pulled the lever, and the cage door holding the Whispering Death suddenly opened. All three dragons roared at once, and Alvin smiled at the sight.

"Mildew, whatever happens in the next three minutes, do exactly what I tell you," Hiccup ordered.

"Why?" Mildew asked with a scowl. The Changewing suddenly spit acid at him, and he ducked just in time. He then looked at us with that same pleading expression. "I'm all ears."

Hiccup then gestured to him and hopped on the Deadly Nadder. Once they got on the Whispering Death tried having a go at them, but fortunately the Deadly Nadder was able to dodge. The Scauldron sprayed boiling hot water at them, but again the Nadder dodged it's attack. Suddenly the Whispering Death dove underground.

"Easy," I whispered to the Changewing as it growled at me. Thankfully it didn't try to attack. Instead the Changewing actually kept the Scauldron from attacking me as I hopped on just as the Nadder Hiccup and Mildew were on ran off.

I didn't need to look back to know that the Scauldron was following. At the last second the Changewing had flown into the air just as the Nadder did, and we flew next to each other as the Whispering Death burst from the ground. It's sudden attack resulted in crashing into the Scauldron, causing both dragons to stop in their tracks.

We then dove into the tunnel the Whispering Death had created and escaped. Relief washed over my shoulders as I saw daylight. It was morning when we finally made it out of the dragon pit.

"You know your dragons, I'll give you that," Mildew said after watching the whole thing.

"Hiccup!" Stoick's voice rang out. The two of us looked up in time to see Thornado landing in front of us. Stoick jumped off, followed by Gobber. "Thank Thor you're alright!" It was only seconds later when talons suddenly pried me off the Changewing, chasing it off in the process.

' _My hatchling_!' Snowfire's voice was reassuring enough as she nearly smothered me with her snout. ' _I was afraid that I would lose you_.'

"I could never do that to you," I whispered once she let me up.

"We're alright, but Toothless is in trouble," Hiccup explained once everyone else had joined us.

"And Mildew is on the back of a dragon," Tuffnut piped up.

"I know," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes. Tuffnut was silent for a few moments.

"Weird," he finally replied. Mildew was suddenly pried off of the Deadly Nadder by Snowfire. We all watched as she let out a furious snarl and roared in his face. Mildew looked absolutely horrified as she bared her teeth.

' _I will make certain that you suffer for this_!' she hissed as Mildew cried out in fear. Hiccup gave me one look before I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Easy Snow, Mildew helped us escape," I explained as I pushed her off. Snowfire looked at me in surprise before glaring at Mildew again. "We owe him our lives," I added in a voice full of disgust. All of the riders stared at us like we were crazy. And I'm starting to think we were.

"Getting weirder," Tuffnut muttered.

"'Owe him your lives?' He's the one who got you in trouble in the first place," Astrid pointed out.

"Yeah, because that's the most believable story I've heard yet," Jacob added with a roll of his eyes.

"We'll explain later," Hiccup sighed after realizing they were right. "Right now, I have to save Toothless."

"Or bring Toothless to you," I said.

Hiccup gave me a nod before cupping his hands over his mouth. He imitated the call of a Night Fury that echoed across the area. We then heard the call of a Night Fury calling back and hopped onto our dragons, flying towards the sound.

"There he is!" Hiccup said, pointing down. We flew towards Toothless and landed nearby. Once Hiccup had landed on the Deadly Nadder he ran over to Toothless' side. "Toothle—" He never got the chance to finish his sentence, because Toothless had started covering him in licks.

' _Something is not right_ ,' Snowfire growled in a warning tone. I nodded in agreement as I kept watch for danger. No doubt Alvin had guards posted all over the island.

"Are you okay, bud?" Hiccup asked as he started rubbing Toothless' chin. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Toothless. This is all my fault," he apologized. Toothless suddenly pulled back and turned his head, growling in anger just as Snowfire had earlier. "What's the matter, bud?" Hiccup asked.

We all followed Toothless' and Snowfire's gaze to find Alvin standing on a cliff's edge.

"You two weren't going to leave before we finished our business, were you?" Alvin said as he glared down at us. Hiccup only stood up and glared as I kept Snowfire from charging after Alvin right than and there. "That's what I'd expect from Stoick's little runt."

Anger suddenly churned within me when Alvin said that.

"Alex, don't." Jacob's warning fell on deaf ears.

"Oh boy," Gobber said before Snowfire suddenly charged right after Alvin. She wasted no time in firing ice at Alvin, who managed to dodge only just in time.

"Hiccup, Alex!" Stoick yelled as Toothless took off as well. "No, we have what we came for!"

"Do it you two! I'm right here!" Alvin laughed as he continued dodging Snowfire's attacks. "Now!"

More Outcasts had suddenly appeared from their hiding place, firing bolas at both Toothless and Snowfire. I held on to Snowfire for dear life when she suddenly came crashing down. My eyes widened in panic as Outcast soldiers began running towards us.

"They're down!" Gobber shouted.

"Dragons, everybody!" Astrid ordered.

"We would love to, but as you can see…" Tuffnut said as they realized their dragons were gone.

"Trusting dragons, this is what it gets you," Mildew scoffed.

"Wait, look!" Astrid said.

I looked up just in time to see the dragons were turning around. They were flying towards us. They began firing at the Outcasts that were running towards us. Thornado and the Deadly Nadder Hiccup befriended created a diversion. Barf released some gas while Belch sparked it along a path of Outcasts.

"Yeah! We taught him that!" Tuffnut shouted. "We didn't teach him that, did we? Yeah, I didn't think so."

Meatlug swooped in and formed a protective ring of fire around us. What surprised me even more was that Hookfang and Stormfly had flown in to carry us off towards the waiting Vikings. Quickly Snotlout and Astrid had cut off our ropes.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked.

"The dragons saved you two, on their own!" Fishlegs replied.

"Looks like they took their training to a whole new level," Astrid added.

"We can catch up later," Stoick told us. "Right now, we need to get out of here."

Unfortunately more Outcasts were running towards us. We all got on our dragons and flew into the air. Thornado fired sonic blasts to keep the Outcast soldiers preoccupied. Both Mildew and Gobber were on the Deadly Nadder, but Mildew only hung onto the Nadder's tail.

"Mildew!" Hiccup called.

"For the love of Thor, Mildew, get back up here!" Gobber shouted. Mildew refused to budge. "Don't you let go, old man."

"Tell the boy I'm sorry," Mildew said before letting go.

"Mildew!" Hiccup cried and turned to go back.

"Hiccup, don't!" Snowfire blocked his path as she glared at where Mildew had fallen. "He may have helped us, but I still don't trust him."

' _He would betray us all_ ,' Snowfire added.

"Smart girl," Mildew shouted from where he landed. "At least someone on Berk has some intelligence!" The Outcasts had started firing arrows at us as I glared at Mildew.

"We have to go," Astrid said.

"Astrid's right. We have to go, now," Stoick ordered. Hiccup was still glaring at Mildew as we turned to leave.

...

It was good to be back home on Berk. I had lost track of how much time had passed since we were on Outcast Island. Being back here and seeing all of the decorations for Bork Week made me realize just how lucky I was. Jacob stood next to me, and surprisingly, Jessica had decided to join everyone as well for the celebration.

"You know, I never realized just how lucky I am," I murmured as I leaned against Snowfire. Everyone else was getting ready for the parade. In the end, Jacob had given Snotlout full status on taking care of the Monstrous Nightmares during their big entrance.

"And why would that be?" Jacob asked with a knowing look.

"Well, for starters, we'd still be stuck at home if we hadn't ended up here," I explained cheekily. "And I would've never met Snowfire or Hiccup."

"I've been thinking the same thing," he admitted sheepishly. "I can't imagine what our lives would be like if we were still home." I nodded in agreement as Snowfire brushed her snout against the back of my hand.

' _We are family_ ,' she told me, her voice full of pride. ' _And I would not want it any other way_.'

I nodded in agreement before heading over to Hiccup's house. With the parade underway it was time to get ready. Hiccup opened the door and looked at me in confusion until he suddenly remembered.

"Bork Week, remember?" I said with a shrug. Hiccup only grinned before following me outside, with Toothless close behind.

Once we were ready the air show started. All of the Vikings were cheering in amazement as Astrid's Nadders flew in a perfect line. Even Hookfang and the other Monstrous Nightmares were flying perfectly. Everything had gone smoothly.

I looked up at Snowfire as she flew next to Toothless as the dragons dove into the clouds. Everything we had been through together, was because of fate deciding to bring me here. And I had finally realized that I wouldn't want it any other way.

Over my first year on Berk, I learned something. That even though you aren't born into a family, you're still part of one. The friends that you fight alongside become your family. You know you'll be there for them. And they'll always be there for you.

* * *

 **AN: Ah this chapter was fun to rewrite. Well, best as I could. The next part of the series will definitely have a lot more drama in it, including some love drama ;) Lots of interesting things happening the next series. Also, hooray for fast updates!**

 **KupkaceKrazed101 - Me too, but it has to happen. And yes, both movies were great. I've actually had the privilege of speaking to one of the trainers, who said there will be a movie about Nicholas in the near future. I'm looking forward to hearing his story ;)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Yeah, poor Snow has had quite the traumatic past... similar to Alex. And you're more than welcome to try! Mildew is definitely my least favorite character, but he does make a pretty interesting villain.**


	33. Part Three: Live and Let Fly

**Chapter Thirty Three**

A month had passed since Mildew's betrayal. The peace between dragon and Viking was officially assured. Now we were all preparing for what might happen to the island with Mildew being gone. His knowledge would surely prove useful for Alvin, especially since the Outcasts had been planning revenge on Berk for years now.

The mood inside the cave was dark and foreboding. Fishlegs Ingerman stood, all tied up, as shadows danced along the cave walls. Torches were lit up to emphasize the fear that was threatening to overwhelm the chubby teen. Fishlegs stiffened as an Outcast voice vibrated against the cave walls, adding to the already tense atmosphere.

"Tell us what you know about the dragons, boy. Tell us how you train them," the voice said in a threatening tone. Fishlegs looked up from the ground, his hands trembling as he glared.

"I won't talk!" he shouted, struggling against his restraints. "You can't make me!"

"Oh, I think we can," the voice said.

Then, to Fishlegs' horror, they blew out the torches and left him in complete darkness. He began hyperventilating in the dark, breathing in and out as fast as he could without panicking.

"Okay, okay! Hiccup and Alex are the joint leaders of the Berk Dragon Academy. Hiccup rides a Night Fury known as Toothless, and Alex rides a White Terror known as Snowfire! T-Then there's Astrid. She's mean, but in a nice way! Her dragon is a Deadly Nadder, shoots spines and loves chicken. Snotlout and Jacob ride Monstrous Nightmares known as Hookfang and Sniper, though we're not sure who's more monstrous – Snotlout or the dragons. And then there are the twins. They share a Zippleback. Actually, they fight over it..."

Before Fishlegs could continue, the shrieking sound of a Night Fury's incoming plasma blast echoed through the caves. Toothless and Snowfire shot out fire blasts at the torches, illuminating the cave within seconds. Astrid and Snotlout were standing in the light, revealing themselves and their dragons. Fishlegs' face burned with embarrassment when he realized they'd all heard him spill the beans.

Fishlegs wasn't actually captured by the Outcasts. In fact, this was all just a new test we'd set up. By the way, this was all Astrid's idea. Not that I'm complaining about it. She suggested to us that if anyone of us was captured, Alvin and his goons would try to beat the answers out of us. So testing our willpower was one way of figuring what needed to be worked on. And of course, Fishlegs had failed miserably.

"What, you know I'm afraid of the dark!" Fishlegs complained defensively at the disapproving looks of his fellow Riders.

"Well, that was an epic fail," Jacob said with a smirk.

"Great, Fishlegs, more like Goopylegs, geez..." Tuffnut muttered.

Hiccup sighed in exasperation as he gestured to the torch that was now burning brightly. The poor kid looked as if a knife had been thrown at him. Though truthfully, had this been a real interrogation, we would've had his head for spilling the secrets of Berk.

"Fishlegs, you can't cave in. Alvin will do a lot more than turn off the lights to get you to talk. He had me and Alex locked in a dungeon, ready for execution," Hiccup told him. "Not to mention Toothless was in a muzzle for days. You need to stick with what we discussed: Your name, where you live, and nothing else."

I flinched at the mention of what had just happened only a month ago. Memories of that day still haunted me. Between my father and Dagur, I wasn't quite sure who was worse. Alvin and his men had tried using me to befriend the dragons, by any means necessary.

"Alright, I'll work on it!" Fishlegs exclaimed, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.

"Work harder on it, Fishlegs," Astrid told him as she followed the others outside. "And what do you mean I'm 'mean'? I'm not mean," she added, folding her arms as she left.

"It's okay, Astrid. I _like_ mean girls," Snotlout piped up, causing Astrid to groan in annoyance.

If something like this had happened in our world... I shuddered to think of what would happen. Frankly, I'd read all kinds of torture stories in the past. Some of them involved hanging the enemy upside down until all the blood went to their head. Others involved dunking them into water for several periods at a time. The most painful method, in my opinion, was branding. And people still did that in our time, it just wasn't as well known.

Fishlegs looked around anxiously when he thought he was left alone, with only the company of Meatlug. I was the last to leave, and held back a sigh of frustration as I heard him calling to his Gronckle.

' _Perhaps he is better off tied up_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement.

"Come on, we're not stooping down to Snotlout's level," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

"Hey, girl, can you untie me?" Fishlegs asked. Meatlug only responded by licking him on the cheek. "Please?" he begged. But Meatlug simply turned on her side and started to nap, much to his dismay. His eyes lit up when I arrived, with Snowfire watching him in amusement.

"Sorry," I apologized while untying the rope. Snowfire went over to Meatlug's side and woke her up. Then we hurried up to catch the others.

...

It was a cloudy and gray morning when we returned to the village. And Stoick's latest order had not lightened the mood that was hanging over Berk like a thick storm cloud. Gobber was helping some men push a war contraption down to the docks while Hiccup and I chatted with the Chief.

"Grounded? All the dragons, are you serious?" Hiccup asked in disbelief. I glanced at Snowfire uneasily, knowing she would not take well to that order. She hated being stuck to the ground when there was so much open sky to explore.

"Deadly serious. From this point forward, there will be a ban on all flying, period," Stoick replied in a stern voice.

' _No human has the power to keep me on the ground_ ,' Snowfire growled after hearing that. Her eyes were narrowed into slits as she glared at Stoick threateningly.

"Sir, you'll be taking away the one thing that means everything to a dragon," I snapped, feeling her anger as my own. "You can't just take away their freedom, not when they've worked this hard to gain it."

I knew Hiccup wasn't fond of the idea either. Toothless had no problems with his prosthetic tail. But keeping him from flying all together? That was almost cruel. Plus there was no easy way to defend the island without flying on the backs of dragons either.

"What about patrolling? Training?" Hiccup demanded.

"What part of ban on flying do you and Alex not understand, Hiccup?" Stoick retorted and went to check on reinforcements for the island.

"Dad, t-that's ridiculous!" Hiccup protested. Stoick ignored him for a moment.

"I want that wall higher!" he yelled to some of the men. One of the workers shouted in agreement as Stoick turned to look back at us. "Are you calling your _father_ _ridiculous_?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.

Hiccup and I exchanged looks. Yes, I would call him just that. What led to such fear-mongering? Sure Alvin was likely to attack now that he had Mildew, but that didn't mean we weren't capable of defending ourselves.

"Of course not. I would never call my father ridiculous. I'm calling my Chief ridiculous," Hiccup said in a firm tone.

' _This is what you humans call, a burn_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at the look on Stoick's shocked face. He chose to ignore her comment and focused on the fact that Toothless had knocked over a wooden post.

"Careful, you two," Stoick told us, than gave Snowfire and Toothless a stern look. "And your dragons too." He chose that moment to walk away and join the men working on Berk's reinforcements. "Put your backs into it, boys!" he ordered.

"Sir, grounding the dragons is only asking for trouble," I pointed out as we followed him. "How are we going to tell whether or not there's a threat approaching, if we're not on the backs of dragons?"

"Dad, Alvin has dragons of his own," Hiccup added. "Changewings, Scauldrons, Whispering Deaths, Alex and I saw them with our own eyes."

I felt a shiver run through me at the thought of seeing all those dragons up close again. Yes, Alvin did have dragons of his own. Dragons he'd tried using me to bond with, to tame them. I would never forget that terrifying moment when a Whispering Death almost took my hand off.

"Yes, when you two were kidnapped and locked up on Outcast Island," Stoick cut in.

"An Outcast prison, which we managed to escape," I pointed out.

"He's also read the Book of Dragons; he's seen Alex work with the Monstrous Nightmare, and he has Mildew, who, by the way, I really doubt will hold up to their questioning," Hiccup put in. I simply nodded in agreement at that.

Mildew had never liked me the moment I arrived on the island. While he seemed to not mind Jacob or Jessica too much, there was something about me that had thrown him off. I never really did understand why. Unfortunately, Stoick wasn't hearing any of our pleads. Right now he was too busy focusing on fortifying the island.

"Hiccup... Alex..." he began, but Hiccup cut him off.

"If Alvin learns how to train his dragons, and he attacks with them, our only chance is to fight back with ours!" Hiccup fired back, providing appropriate hand gestures to emphasize what he was saying.

"I understand that. But I'm not going to risk your life, Alex's life or any of the lives of your Dragon Riders. That is my final word," Stoick told us after putting a firm hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

Hiccup and I exchanged looks as his father went on working with the other men. There was no changing Stoick's mind. Not at this point, anyways.

"Well this sucks," I muttered under my breath.

"Yeah, no kidding," Hiccup mumbled in agreement.

...

It was late in the afternoon at the Academy. Hiccup and I had gathered all the Riders to discuss the latest news about Stoick's rule. Astrid's eyes widened in disbelief while Fishlegs and Jacob shook their heads, almost as if they couldn't wrap around what Stoick had ordered.

"And you two just agreed with what he said?" Astrid asked. "Just like that?" I hadn't realized until now that she was glaring at us.

"What other choice did we have? He's the Chief, who also happens to be an over-protective father," Hiccup replied angrily. Which was someone I never had the privilege knowing. Maybe that was why I respected Stoick. He actually cared about his son, unlike the bastard I had to call my father.

"Well, we have to get him to change his mind!" Astrid exclaimed.

"That's not going to be easy," I pointed out. "You _do_ know who the Chief is." I gestured slightly to Hiccup, who wasn't looking at the time. Astrid only smirked at that as Fishlegs looked at us nervously.

"Stoick the Vast? Um, good luck with that," he muttered. That's when Snotlout decided to say something that made us all roll our eyes.

"So what am I supposed to do with Hookfang if he can't fly? You know what happens when his ' _inner warrior_ ' is caged up?" he asked irritably. Snotlout hadn't noticed that his Monstrous Nightmare's tail ignited, and Hookfang was preparing to swing at him. Without warning, Hookfang swept his tail and struck it at Snotlout, the force sent him sliding across the floor and right into Astrid's waiting boot. "That's what happens!" His voice was muffled by Astrid's right boot on his face.

"Whoa! We should've caged his inner warrior a long time ago! That was awesome!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"Yeah," Ruffnut snickered in agreement. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled to calm everyone down.

"Look, I know this is going to be hard. But I'll keep working on my dad, and hopefully, he'll change his mind," he reassured everyone. Astrid still looked concerned about what Stormfly would do if they couldn't fly anymore.

"And what if he doesn't?" she asked, to which Hiccup could not answer.

' _I will convince him_ ,' Snowfire growled. ' _No human can order me around_.'

"Hm... which view is better, Hiccup's or Snowfire's?" Jacob asked, weighing down the two options. I only rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Look, whatever happens next, it's probably better to just do as he says," I muttered. "And that means you as well," I added sternly to Snowfire.

"Alex, since when have _you_ ever followed the rules?" Jacob's question only earned a good punch in the arm. While he had a good point, he didn't need to announce it to the world.

I hated the idea of banning dragons from flying. The whole thing sounded ridiculous. But like Hiccup said, there wasn't much we could do about it. Snowfire slowly walked behind me as we headed back home, on foot. I'd almost forgotten how far home was from here.

' _We would be better off flying_ ,' Snowfire grumbled.

"I know," I murmured, glancing over my shoulder guiltily.

"I thought for sure you'd be with Hiccup." Jacob's words made me stop in my tracks. I turned to see him following us on the same path with Sniper behind him.

"I... needed some time alone," I explained with a shrug. Truthfully I had to get away; after Stoick's order and everything else, I just needed some time alone.

"Wait a second... are you two _fighting_?" Jacob's question made me flinch.

It was a question I'd been avoiding the answer to for too long. But how exactly was I supposed to explain something as complicated as some simple argument? Snowfire sensed my unease and brushed her snout against the back of my hand comfortingly.

"We had a slight... argument," I explained warily. "He wants to know what happened before my father disappeared." I swallowed the vile threatening to overwhelm me. "I'm just afraid of what... he or the others would think if they found out."

Jacob nodded in understanding, for once, sympathetic as we headed for my place.

"Alex, since we've been friends I've kept that part of your past a secret," he murmured. "Maybe you should tell him the truth. He just cares about you, in more ways than I'd like to admit."

I blinked in surprise as Snowfire warbled in agreement. ' _The past will make you stronger_ ,' she reminded me.

"Or it could rip you apart," I retorted.

"This isn't something I can help you with." I only stared at the ground as shame crawled through me. "You need to figure this one out on your own."

With that being said, he led Sniper away back to their place. I watched them leave, feeling my stomach churn with anxiety. Jacob and Snowfire had good points. But that didn't stop the knot from forming again.

"What do you say we go for one final flight for the evening?" I suggested, trying to ignore the strong anxiety that threatened to overwhelm me.

' _I thought you would never ask_ ,' Snowfire hummed.

In one quick, graceful leap, Snowfire had taken to the air and circled around the island once. She melted away into the clouds, moonlight reflecting off her scales. In a sense, this was probably the dumbest idea I've made yet. Going behind Stoick's word would most likely get us both punished. But neither of us could stay grounded for long.

Once Snowfire had started gliding lazily around the island, I sighed and leaned against her saddle.

"Mom, I wish I could ask you for advice," I murmured out loud. "You always knew what to tell me."

' _You miss her_ ,' Snowfire said in an accusing tone.

"Of course I do," I snapped cheekily.

But deep in my heart, I really did miss her. Then, to my horror, I realized that I could barely remember what she looked like. Mom had auburn hair like mine. Her eyes were blue, and she always wore a beautiful locket that grandma had given her.

' _We should go back_.' Snowfire's warning tone made me realize that the moon had begun to disappear. I hadn't even realized how late it was until that moment. Snowfire turned back towards the island, avoiding any onlookers who were out on a midnight stroll. Hopefully Stoick would change his mind soon. Going behind his back on an order made me feel more uncomfortable than I wanted to admit.

...

"Dragon Flight Club! I like the sound of that!" Snotlout, who happened to be in the plaza while listening to them, exclaimed after Hiccup and Astrid explained their idea. "What is it?"

"It's a secret dragon flying society. We train at night, under the cover of darkness," Astrid told him, sounding just as excited.

"Sharpening our skills against possible dragon attacks by Alvin," Hiccup added.

"And it also serves as a night patrol to keep a lookout for any incoming enemy ships on the horizon," Astrid finished. "But it's a secret. Nobody can know."

"As far as you're concerned, it doesn't exist. There is no Dragon Flight Club," Hiccup reminded him.

The Jorgenson boy looked at both of them thoughtfully when an idea suddenly came to mind. Someone was missing from the duo that was normally a trio.

"Hey, where's Alex?" he suddenly asked. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged uneasy looks almost at once. "Wait, are you two fighting? Does that mean I actually have a chance with her?" His face lit up with glee at the thought. Astrid only rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Snotlout, even I know that you're the last person she would want to go out with," she muttered.

Snotlout didn't even look phased. Instead he turned to Hookfang who was resting behind him.

"Hey, what do _you_ think?" he asked. Hookfang responded by blowing a fireball at his obnoxious rider into a nearby cart. "He's in!" Snotlout exclaimed from his painful position.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to come up with a plan." All three Viking teens froze at the sound of Jacob's voice. Sniper was behind him, growling in contentment until he saw Hookfang.

"Jacob, h-how long have you been there?" Hiccup asked uneasily.

"Long enough to know you're up to no good," he replied with a knowing smirk.

"So, are you in?" Astrid asked. Jacob's smirk only widened at the thought of breaking any rules.

"What do you think I'm standing around here for?" he retorted with a wink.

Once that was said and done, Astrid, Hiccup and Jacob made their way to the twin's house next. It was Hiccup's idea, and clearly he wasn't in any hurry to visit the one person he'd been dreading to face all day. The twins happened to be supporting themselves with their legs wrapped around a wooden support beam on the ceiling.

"So listen, this is very, very important. The first rule of the Dragon Flight Club is that there _is_ no Dragon Flight Club," Hiccup explained after telling them about their plans.

"Okay, so wait a minute," Tuffnut said after flipping back onto the floor. "Is there a Dragon Flight Club?"

"Yes," Astrid replied in exasperation. Ruffnut followed her brother, looking equally confused. "There is a Dragon Flight club."

"But he just said there is no Dragon Flight Club," Ruffnut protested.

Hiccup was doing his best not to sigh in frustration. Sometimes explaining things to the twins was easier said than done. Especially when they had the attention span of a fly.

"No. The first rule of the Dragon Flight Club, is that there _is_ no Dragon Flight Club," he repeated himself, hoping the hopelessly clueless twins would get it. "Got it?"

"Absolutely not," Tuffnut replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, I think I need to lie down," Ruffnut said, trying to wrap her thoughts around their latest scheme.

"Me too. Why don't you guys come back when you've made up your minds and saying is so much," Tuffnut added.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged exasperated looks. The twins were already heading for their rooms when Jacob intervened.

"Look, you knuckleheads, they're trying to say that the Dragon Flight Club is a secret. Nobody can know it exists, other than it's members, if you're willing to give it a try. But you have to remember that those who aren't part of the Club can know about it," he told them seriously. "Are you two in or not?"

"Wait, did you say _secret_ club?" Ruffnut asked, now sounding interested.

"As in we're going behind the Chief's back?" Tuffnut added. The two now exchanged excited looks. "We're totally in!" He and Ruffnut bumped helmets before looking back at Jacob. "You explained things much better than Hiccup," he added gleefully.

"Thanks, Tuffnut. It's good to see someone appreciates having me around," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes.

Once the twins were on board with their plans, the trio went over to Fishlegs' next.

"Um... I'm not sure that's a good idea," Fishlegs said uneasily once they'd explained the idea to him. "Besides, I hate having to wake her. She's so beautiful when she sleeps," he added after patting the sleeping Gronckle gently just as Meatlug passed gas. It astounded them that Fishlegs wasn't effected by the stench. Jacob was holding his nose with one hand and covering his mouth with another in disgust.

"Fishlegs, this is a defining moment in the history of Berk Dragon Training Academy," Hiccup reassured him as he jumped down from the windowsill. "Hundreds of years from now, when they're building statues of us in the middle of town, they're going to hearken back to the courage it took for all of us to stand up for what we know is right, regardless of the consequences."

Fishlegs finally seemed to understand the meaning behind their plan, and the rewards that would weep from it. True, he would be going behind the Chief's back and breaking an important rule. But to get a statue built was one of the biggest honors.

"So... I get a statue?" he asked eagerly, making Jacob roll his eyes in annoyance while Hiccup sighed in disbelief.

"Yes, Fishlegs, you get a statue," he replied.

"Well, that's almost everyone," Jacob said, glancing towards the field where Alex's house now stood. He hadn't seen her all day, and was starting to worry that she'd done something crazy. Knowing her, she probably did. "When were you planning on telling her?"

"I was kind of hoping you would tell her," Hiccup admitted sheepishly.

"You're really gonna chicken out?" Jacob rolled his eyes when he realized that both Hiccup and Astrid were gone. But it left him more concerned than anything else. Whatever was going on between them must be serious if Hiccup wasn't willing to face her in person.

...

Snowfire let out an irritable growl as I adjusted her saddle.

' _Why must you waste your time with such silly adjustments_?' she demanded, clearly not in the mood for wasting what precious flying time we had.

"I just want to make sure it's not going to slip like last time," I muttered in response, shuddering at the memory of what had happened earlier that day.

Unbeknownst to Stoick and the rest of Berk, we'd taken a little detour over the island. I could stand being stuck in one place as much as Snowfire. So we'd decided to go to her island for the afternoon. I hadn't realized how much I missed the place. It was strangely nostalgic.

' _That would not have happened had you paid attention_ ,' Snowfire reminded me.

"I make one mistake and you're all over me about it," I grumbled with a roll of my eyes.

Snowfire hummed in amusement, clearly enjoying the fact that she had to rescue me when I'd almost fallen off her back. Once the saddle was fully adjusted, I hopped on and she took off with ease.

' _Where are we going_?' she asked.

"I thought we could try Changewing Island," I replied, thinking back to what Alvin had said about my abilities. "There's something I want to test." I felt Snowfire tense at the thought of approaching another dragon's territory. "Don't worry, we won't be there for long," I added reassuringly.

We'd only been flying for a few minutes when I realized something wasn't right. Snowfire's eyes narrowed with annoyance when she caught an object flying a little too close for comfort. And that something happened to be a purple and red Monstrous Nightmare.

' _Foolish hatchling_ ,' Snowfire growled at the sight of Jacob staring at us in shock.

"Alex, where the hell have you been all day?" he demanded once he'd regained his posture. Snowfire flew alongside Sniper, earning a few growls of confusion from the smaller dragon.

"Where do you think?" I retorted, ignoring the look he was giving me. "I needed time away from the island. Stoick's new rule is driving us both crazy." Jacob let out a sigh of frustration and shook his head.

"Look, Hiccup and Astrid came up with an idea to counter Stoick's rule," he explained warily. "They wanted everyone who was part of the Dragon Flight Club to join them on Changewing Island."

I stared at Jacob in disbelief. Did he seriously mean what he said?

"Funny, I was thinking of going there myself," I muttered crossly. "But maybe now I should change tactics."

"Alex, you have to be one of the most stubborn people I know," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes. "Just once think about what you're doing. And do you really think this is any easier for me?"

For a moment I couldn't say anything. My mouth opened and closed before I shook my head. After everything we'd been through, I only just realized how much Jacob cared for me. I knew that adjusting to life in this world couldn't be easy for him or for Jessica. And I was too busy worrying about my life to bother caring.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. Jacob looked at me in surprise. "For not being a better friend."

' _Are we going somewhere or not_?' Snowfire's question made me blink as I realized we were flying in circles. Jacob and I exchanged knowing looks.

"Changewing Island it is," he said with a grin.

The flight only took a few minutes with the two of us. Snowfire made it difficult for Sniper to keep up, much to Jacob's annoyance. I'd almost forgotten how slow the Monstrous Nightmare was compared to Toothless.

Once we'd reached the island I saw Hiccup and the others watching a group of Changewings hunting a wild boar. This was a hunting tactic I'd seen on nature channels far too many times. A pack of wolves or a pride of lions would weed out the weak or young. Once they found their target, it was usually over for their victim.

"You leave Bjoren alone!" Tuffnut's cry made me look down in surprise, and it caught the Changewing's attention.

"Friends with a boar... somehow that doesn't surprise me," I muttered with a shake of my head.

' _They will get themselves killed_ ,' Snowfire added while watching in amusement.

"You're on your own, Bjoren!" Tuffnut shouted as one of the Changewings attacked him.

"Don't you think we should help them?" Jacob asked warily.

I followed his gaze as the Riders struggled to escape. There were too many Changewings appearing all at once. With nothing to blend into, they didn't really look all that threatening.

"I think they're going just fine without us," I replied. "Come on, let's go before they notice us."

...

Luckily no one had noticed we were gone. Jacob stayed with me until we reached my place, Snowfire close behind. We had to land in the cove where it wouldn't be easy spotting us. Which of course made our trip back all the more exhausting.

"So, you and Hiccup are really not speaking to each other," Jacob mused as I stopped by the door. I bit the bottom of my lip warily as I met his questioning gaze.

"No, we're not," I murmured.

The whole thing was just stupid. We were both overreacting to something that could have easily been avoided. For a while we just stood there in awkward silence. I wished there was an easier way around this. But I couldn't see a way out of telling everyone the truth.

"You know, things happen for a reason," Jacob suddenly told me. "Maybe this will work itself out in time."

He paused before rubbing the back of his hair in embarrassment. What I did next caught us both off guard. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you, Jacob, for being a good friend," I whispered.

"What are friends for?" Jacob asked with a sheepish grin.

...

The following day found Gobber examining the shield that Hiccup was working on the night before. He was busy trying to figure out where Hiccup had hidden the trigger for the shield.

"Now where did he hide it?" Gobber asked in frustration. "Where is the trigger for this—" Stoick chose that moment to intrude on his search.

"Gobber!" he yelled.

This caused Gobber to jump in surprise as he found the trigger at the same time. The grapple line wrapped around Stoick in an instant, pulling him towards Gobber. They looked at each other awkwardly in silence.

"So, I'll just uh... unwind that and uh... hopefully no one is looking," Gobber said awkwardly. Fortunately he found the trigger and pulled it, freeing Stoick from the grapple line as it retracted to the center hub. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I came for my saddle," Stoick replied. "Did you make the adjustments I asked for?"

"It's done and back on Thornado. It should do wonders for your maneuverability," Gobber told him.

"Good," Stoick said, sounding more then pleased.

"Of course, it shouldn't matter now, what with the flying ban and all," Gobber put in.

"And what ban would that be, Gobber?" Stoick asked knowingly.

"Stoick, the ban... on flying dragons," Gobber replied, sounding more confused than anything else. "The one where no one is allowed to..." Gobber stopped when he suddenly understood where Stoick was getting at with this; seeing the Chief's sly smile told him everything he needed to know. "Ah, I see. The ban where no one else is allowed to fly dragons except for the Chief." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

"Someone has to patrol the island. It might as well be me," Stoick retorted.

"Uh-huh," Gobber muttered, not really buying his excuse.

"And not a word to anyone. Especially Hiccup or Alex. You know how that dragon of hers can be, and I mean it," Stoick said seriously.

"Stoick, I'm nothing if not careful," Gobber reassured him. Suddenly the metal rim hit him right on the face. "Catapult, should've seen that one coming," he muttered, somewhat dazed. Stoick only shook his head and left the blacksmith behind.

...

"So let me get this straight," Jacob started as we flew among the clouds. The others were well ahead of us, unaware that we were following them. While Jacob had openly said he would join them, he was proving a terrible a club member at the moment. "You've been testing your abilities behind everyone's back?"

"Well, not exactly," I replied sheepishly. Snowfire glided through the clouds with ease, enjoying the nightly ride alongside Sniper. "I've learned the hard way that there are limits. Snowfire doesn't like the idea too much, but it's good to know which dragons can be stopped if they're fighting on Alvin's side."

To my relief, Jacob nodded in understanding. We'd seen all the dragons that Alvin had captured over the years. Who knew what else he was keeping in those caves? I'm sure that with Mildew's help, he was creating a dragon army of his own now. Which only made things all the more complicated with Stoick's ban on flying.

' _He is a fool to believe this ban will last any longer_ ,' Snowfire chimed in.

"Doesn't he realize how risky it is to leave the island unguarded?" Jacob added.

"Of course he does," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "Stoick is just too damn stubborn to admit it."

Eventually we'd reached the forest where the rest of the gang were lurking around. I'd noticed with a start that they were tracking down a Typhoomerang. Or maybe it was the other way around. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight as they started running from the angry dragon. Somehow that didn't surprise me. That was when I noticed they were flying closer towards us.

"Evasive maneuvers," I ordered as Snowfire flew deeper into the clouds, Sniper close behind her.

' _Why are we hiding from them_?' Snowfire asked warily.

"Because someone doesn't want another someone to know we are," Jacob replied with a knowing grin. I only rolled my eyes at that.

"Let's just hope they didn't spot us," I muttered crossly.

To my relief, Snowfire and Sniper landed at the cove seconds before Hiccup and the others had reached the clouds we were hiding in. I held back a sigh after hopping out of her saddle.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if we just helped them," Jacob pointed out. I met his eyes and shook my head, already knowing where this was going. "Come on, give it a chance. I'm sure they'd be happy being at full strength again," he added in a hopeful tone.

' _Follow your heart, little one_ ,' Snowfire added, nudging me gently.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what this 'Dragon Flight Club' is all about," I finally murmured. Jacob grinned at that, looking more than relieved.

...

What was one supposed to do with themselves when they were arguing with someone? I'd been avoiding Hiccup for most of the week, actually. Jacob was the first to notice it and had tried asking why. When the truth slipped out he was more than understanding. But now I was forced to deal with the consequences and the rest of the gang tonight. Somehow I was hoping that a hole would open up underneath me and swallow me. That would at least save me from having to explain everything.

Fortunately Jacob had chosen to go with me as we headed for the arena that night. Sure enough everyone was gathered with their dragons. Astrid's arms were folded in surprise while the others looked at us awkwardly.

"So... this is awkward," Fishlegs began after realizing there was tension in the air.

"Yeah, are you two fighting or something? Cause I wanna see some punches thrown," Tuffnut added hopefully. I only rolled my eyes at that when Hiccup intervened.

"No, we're not fighting," he replied, shooting me a look that begged me to say something.

"Of course we aren't," I added. "It's just a little misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding my ass," Jacob coughed between words. "So, are you doing anything tonight?" he asked out loud.

Hiccup glanced at Fishlegs, who seemed to blush in embarrassment. I'm guessing Stoick had caught the chubby teen and tried interrogating him. But if Stoick wasn't here, than that must mean Fishlegs had managed to get away without giving too much information.

"We're doing nothing, tonight," he replied.

"That doesn't sound fun at all!" Tuffnut groaned.

"Look, my dad is on to us. It's important that we don't get caught until this blows over," Hiccup snapped. "We need to be invisible."

' _That doesn't seem possible_ ,' Snowfire remarked as something bright and orange came barreling towards us. I facepalmed at the sight of Snotlout and Hookfang crashing into the arena. Hookfang's body was lit up with flames as the Monstrous Nightmare growled in excitement.

"Hey, hey you guys!" Snotlout said excitedly.

"Snotlout, what did I tell you? No dragons," Hiccup scolded the obnoxious Jorgenson.

"Yeah, even _I_ knew that," Tuffnut added.

"What's so important anyways?" Hiccup sighed after rolling his eyes in frustration. Some things never got old. I almost missed Snotlout and his stupidity. Never thought I'd miss that.

"Let's just say that I may have saved the entire island! Alvin and the Outcasts are attacking as we speak," Snotlout reported.

"Alvin..."

"That bastard's back again already?" I folded my arms and glanced warily at Snowfire, whose eyes were narrowed with fury.

"So, what do we do now?" Astrid asked.

We made our way to Hiccup's house as fast as possible. Of course Alvin would choose to attack while everyone was fast asleep. It was the perfect time for an attack. And the perfect time for us to strike back with just as much force.

' _That human will pay for attacking without honor_.' I only nodded in agreement to Snowfire's words, realizing that he was attacking without any sense of honor. Then again, he was an Outcast. I'm guessing they didn't care about honor or any of that crap.

"So, how angry do you think Stoick will be when he wakes up?" Tuffnut asked.

"We'll find out soon enough," Jacob replied, not looking forward to facing the wrath of Stoick.

Seconds passed before the door opened to reveal Stoick looking at us all in disbelief. He shot Hiccup one stern look that said it all. Clearly Stoick wasn't expecting his son to go behind his back, again. I couldn't wait to hear how Stoick chewed him out this time.

...

Moments later we were flying towards the Outcast ships that were heading towards Berk. Snowfire flew alongside Sniper and Meatlug, gliding smoothly along the wind current.

"I'm going to draw their first round of fire. When they're reloading, you attack," Stoick ordered. "But not before."

While I was one to charge in and attack, especially after what Alvin had done to us, I understood the urgency in Stoick's tone. It was best to leave this to someone who had more experience in battle. Especially when said someone was riding a Thunderdrum. The moment Alvin and his men saw Thornado, they started firing.

The catapults were loaded with boulders that flew towards the Chief. Luckily Thornado was dodging them with ease, diving down and swerving to the right or left to avoid them. Thornado than fired a sonic blast at a couple that were getting dangerously close, blasting them right back at the ships.

"Fire!" Alvin ordered after recovering from the sonic blasts.

The Outcasts wasted no time in grabbing their crossbows and firing arrows at the Thunderdrum. Thornado retaliated by firing another sonic blast, sending the arrows right back at the men who'd fired them. The Outcasts were firing more boulders from their catapults, but Thornado simply dodged them. One Outcast managed to throw a boulder right at Stoick, but he caught it with ease and threw it right back.

"Now, Hiccup!" Stoick called over his shoulder.

"Let's go," I said, grinning at the thought of giving Alvin hell.

' _With pleasure_ ,' Snowfire roared in defiance as we charged at the ships.

"Here they come, just like you said," one of the Outcasts told Alvin.

"Open the cargo hold!" Alvin ordered.

Seconds later and dragons emerged from the ships that were holding them. My heart nearly skipped a beat when I recognized what they were.

' _Changewing's_!' Snowfire exclaimed in disbelief. The Changewings had flown away from the Outcast ships and straight towards the island. To my horror, I realized they were going to attack the village.

"We can't let them get to Berk!" Astrid shouted.

"If they go into town, they'll tear Berk apart and we won't even see them," Fishlegs added.

"Then let's stop them," I suggested.

All of us changed course and chased after the Changewings. The Changewings were only a mile away from Berk when Snotlout and Jacob managed to get ahead of them. Between Sniper and Hookfang firing blasts at the dragons, they were steered well away from the island.

Astrid then stopped a Changewing from backtracking towards the island. The Changewing fired acid at her, but Stormfly dodged the blow and fired several spikes at it, followed by a plasma blast from Toothless.

Yet another Changewing had gotten a bit too close to us for comfort. Snowfire let out an icy blast that sent the Changewing flying away faster than I thought possible.

"Alex, you and me are going to help my dad. Astrid, you and the others herd the Changewings back to their island and make sure they don't head back this way," Hiccup ordered.

"Got it," Astrid yelled before gathering the others.

Hiccup and I locked eyes with each other before nodding in agreement. Despite our... misunderstanding... we had to fight off Alvin and the Outcasts. There was no way in hell I'd let them try destroying Berk. Snowfire and Toothless were flying at breakneck speed straight towards Alvin's ship, stirring up the water in the process.

Once we passed the ship it shook a little, and Toothless fired a plasma blast while Snowfire fired ice at the ship. I watched on in amazement as their attacks combined to create an explosive blue flame. The Outcasts clung on to the ship for dear life as they realized they were overpowered.

"Whoa, did you see that?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"Kind of hard to miss something like that," I replied, looking down at the destruction we'd caused.

We flew higher in the sky as Toothless continued firing plasma blasts at the ships. Thornado suddenly fired a sonic blast that combined with Toothless' plasma blast. The end result, similar to Snowfire's combined attack. Only it let out a spark of purple flames that sparked and caught several ships on fire.

"Our shots combined!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Hit them again, son!" Stoick yelled.

This time Snowfire, Thornado and Toothless fired at the same time. The results sent Alvin and his men packing in seconds.

"They're retreating!" Hiccup shouted as the ships began turning around.

"Well done, you two," Stoick congratulated once it was over.

' _Something does not seem right_ ,' Snowfire growled as she watched them flee. I simply nodded in agreement.

"That was too easy," I added quietly, patting her on the shoulder. "Something tells me Alvin isn't finished yet." And it seemed we weren't the only ones who had that fear.

"Son, what is it?" Stoick asked as we headed back to Berk.

"I don't know... I just figured Alvin would have a better plan than this," he admitted.

"Let's just be thankful he didn't," Stoick told him.

...

What everyone didn't realize was that Alvin had indeed come up with a better plan. Underneath Hiccup's house was the first Whispering Death egg to hatch. And it certainly wasn't the last.

* * *

 **AN: Well, there's the beginning of Defenders of Berk. As you've probably noticed, there's a lot of tension between Alex and Hiccup at this point in the story. You'll find out why later on ;)**

 **KupcakeKrazed101 - Me too. And don't worry, she'll most likely play a bigger roll in later chapters :)**

 **OechsnerC - Thanks!**


	34. The Iron Gronckle

**Chapter Thirty Four**

Oddly enough the weather was quite nice for a change on Berk. Of course that could all change in the snap of a finger with the luck that we had. Snowfire and Toothless flew next to each other, oblivious to the tension that went on between their riders. Well, Toothless was oblivious, Snowfire, not so much. She had noticed and was not happy with the way we were acting around each other.

Unfortunately we still had to patrol the island together with the rest of the gang. Earlier that morning Hiccup had received a report that an Outcast ship was spotted not far from the island. Stoick had wanted everyone to keep an eye out for it. The other Riders flew close behind us... well, except for one.

Chubby Fishlegs and his equally bulky (it was mostly muscle, mind you), Gronckle, Meatlug, were way behind. I wasn't the only one to notice they were lagging. Astrid looked over her shoulder as Stormfly kept up with ease. She let out a sigh of disapproval as the twins took the lead on Barf and Belch. We had reached the sea stack where the boat was last seen, but all I could see now was open ocean.

' _This was pointless_ ,' Snowfire grumbled in annoyance. I simply patted her on the neck as Snotlout grumbled in agreement.

"We missed it!" he exclaimed in frustration. Fortunately Hiccup had decided to give everyone a break and landed on a nearby sea stack.

"It was headed this way. It must have outrun us!" Astrid added.

"How does an Outcast ship outrun our dragons?" Hiccup asked just as Fishlegs and Meatlug joined us.

It didn't take a genius to find out how. Though I wasn't willing to say it out loud. Fishlegs already had enough issues with people making fun of his weight, and Meatlug's for that matter. In a way, I felt sorry for them both. But it did cost us the chance of finding an enemy ship.

"That's how," Snotlout grumbled, referring to the bulky duo as Meatlug landed beside Sniper.

"Whoo-hoo! We were really moving, girl," Fishlegs praised while rubbing Meatlug affectionately behind the ears. The Gronckle's ears flapped happily in response, showing just how close the pair really was. Then Fishlegs looked at us in confusion after realizing mostly everyone was staring at him. "What did I miss?" he asked sheepishly.

"It's not what _you_ missed, it's what _we_ all missed!" Snotlout retorted.

"Snotlout..." Hiccup began, concerned that Fishlegs would catch on to Snotlout's harshness.

"What? I'm just calling it like I sees it. If we didn't have slow, and really, really slow holding us back, I don't know, maybe we'd have a chance to do what we were actually supposed to be doing," he explained, glaring at both Fishlegs and Meatlug. I glared at Snotlout, not in the mood to deal with his arrogance.

"Snotlout, that was a bit harsh," I snapped. "Fishlegs and Meatlug are not holding us back." If there's one thing I hated more than anything, it was bullies. And Snotlout was the biggest bully of them all.

' _Speak for yourself_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at the crestfallen look of Fishlegs.

"Snotlout, that's enough," Hiccup added, glaring at the Jorgenson boy as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, that was a bit harsh," Astrid agreed with us. Snotlout scowled at the three before Fishlegs spoke up for himself. What he said next took us all by surprise.

"Guys, he does have a point," he said.

I couldn't help but sympathize with Fishlegs on this one. He must have known all along that Snotlout was blaming him for slowing everyone down. And poor Meatlug had the same look as her rider, looking both disappointed and ashamed of herself.

"Fishlegs," I started softly, knowing where this was already headed.

"No, it's not big deal. You guys keep looking. Meatlug and I will circle back and patrol the cliffs. Shore up the rear," Fishlegs reassured us.

"Are you sure about this?" Astrid asked warily.

"Maybe someone should tag along, make sure you don't get into any mischief," I added with a knowing look. Fishlegs looked between the three of us before shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured us. Hiccup looked at him skeptically before sighing.

"Okay... uh, give us your dragon call if you see anything." Fishlegs nodded as Meatlug took off, leaving the rest of us behind.

Hiccup and the others were already taking off when Snowfire and I stayed behind. Both Jacob and Snowfire seemed to sense what I was going to do before it happened.

"We'll make sure nothing happens to the others," Jacob reassured me. "Just use that charm of yours to lift his spirit."

Once Sniper had taken off, Snowfire followed the direction where Fishlegs and Meatlug had gone. Relief washed over me when I spotted them on the far side of the island.

' _Why do you care so much about them_?' Snowfire asked.

"Because I know what they're going through," I replied. "Or at least I have a good idea as to what they're going through. Besides, it's also called being a good friend."

Snowfire only rolled her eyes at that. Fishlegs looked over his shoulder in surprise when he realized they were no longer alone. Judging by the look in his eyes, he'd been crying. I reminded myself to punch Snotlout in the face when we were finished. This was no way to treat a friend, especially one who was already sensitive enough about weight.

"Alex, hey!" he greeted me calmly, trying to hide his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I figured you and Meatlug could use the company," I explained with a shrug. "So I left Hiccup and the others to patrol the island with you two."

Fishlegs looked a little surprised that I was willing to go out of the way to make him feel better. But he blushed shyly and led the way on Meatlug, happy for the extra company. The four of us had patrolled the island in awkward silence. Once we were finished, Meatlug and Snowfire landed on a beach nearby to relax.

Well, I was more relaxing while Fishlegs and Meatlug sulked. Snowfire was busy sunning herself while I practiced some fighting moves. On any normal day I would've spent exploring the secrets of Berk, or trying to figure out what to do next at this point in life.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Fishlegs asked as Meatlug turned towards a bush full of berries. "Yeah, that's right... There's plenty of stuff _we_ can do better than the others... Like hovering... and-and zigzagging! And then there's um... stationary flying... which, admittedly is similar to hovering."

I'd been listening to them the whole time, watching warily as Fishlegs munched on the berries and Meatlug feasted on some nearby rocks. If there's one thing I've learned about outdoor survival skills, it's not to eat strange berries. But Fishlegs was already upset enough to begin with. I contemplated whether or not it was a good idea to warn him.

"You're right, Fishlegs," I reassured them. "There are things you and Meatlug can do that we can't. Don't ever stop being yourselves."

Fishlegs blushed a little at that while Meatlug warbled in agreement. He went over to Meatlug as the Gronckle licked him affectionately.

"Oh, girl! You know just how to make me feel better. And I know how to make you feel better, too. Have at 'em, girl!" Fishlegs exclaimed while tossing a rock at Meatlug, who happily ate it.

I watched them with a shake of my head before swinging a fist into a nearby tree. Fishlegs and Meatlug were busy stuffing themselves with the berries and stones, ignoring all sense that they'd get an upset stomach in the end.

' _Are those two still eating_?' Snowfire asked, narrowing her eyes after waking up. I simply nodded before swinging my right fist into another tree. ' _Can you think of nothing else_?' she added, looking at the pair in annoyance. I shot her a stern look before noticing the two were starting to look a little green in the face.

"This is what happens when you stress eat," I muttered with a shake of my head. I glanced at Meatlug, realizing that the Gronckle was in no shape for carrying Fishlegs. Snowfire seemed to catch on to what I was thinking, and let out an irritated growl. "Let's get you to Gobber's, I left the herbs for stomach aches at the forge."

Fishlegs' face fell when he realized what that meant. This was going to be one long flight.

...

Gobber was busy fixing up some weapons when we reached the forge. Snowfire had been less than happy with taking Fishlegs for a spin. She was still complaining about it after landing, grumbling under her breath the entire time.

"Gobber, can you help Meatlug? She's not feeling too well," Fishlegs groaned, forcing back what lunch he could hold onto.

"What happened?" Gobber asked, looking at me for answers. I grabbed what medical supplies I could while Fishlegs described Meatlug's symptoms.

"She ate a ton of rocks but she can't seem to fire out any lava," he explained. To prove his point, Meatlug tried spewing out what lava she could produce, but nothing came out. Then she slumped to the ground, clearly done with whatever ordeal she was suffering from.

"It's a case of indigestion and food poisoning from the looks of it," I explained. "This is why you shouldn't eat random berries out in the forest."

Fishlegs made a face while Gobber knelt down to examine what might be wrong with Meatlug. Both her eyes and mouth suddenly opened while Gobber was still in front of her, and he backed away in disgust seconds later. "Odin's dirty diaper!" he groaned.

"What-What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked.

"Dragon's breath," Gobber explained before patting Meatlug gently on the belly. "I'd say you two overdid it."

"Told you," I muttered under my breath.

"Celebrating were ya?" Gobber asked curiously. The chubby Ingerman boy swallowed back his bile before shaking his head.

"Uh... not... exactly," he replied uneasily, his face suddenly turning a sickly green. If there's one thing I hated, it was watching other people get sick. I was a bit squeamish around vomit, especially when it had a rancid stench to it. Hopefully Fishlegs could hold it up until Gobber helped them.

"Don't worry. Ol' Gobber can fix her right up!" Gobber reassured him, then went over to his pile of things to dig through. I watched on curiously as Gobber put away a file used for cleaning dragon's teeth, a battle axe, a pair of pliers and a malice. "Here we go!" Gobber exclaimed as he pulled out something neither of us were expecting.

"How exactly is a feather supposed to help?" I asked, folding my arms as Gobber rolled his eyes. To prove his point, Gobber turned to Meatlug and tickled her side. The Gronckle quivered from the contact as lava began to build in her mouth.

"Oh, come on... that's not gonna..." Fishlegs' groan was cut short when Meatlug suddenly barfed up a whole pile of lava. "Whoa!" he yelped as he backed away from the intense heat. I blinked in confusion when I noticed that the lava was a strange sickly orange color. By the time Meatlug was finished, we'd all run for cover outside the forge.

' _That is what happens when you eat too much_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as I backed away into her.

"Sorry about your shop. I've never seen her make this much lava before, or this color. It's weird," Fishlegs admitted to Gobber while eyeing the lava, amazed at the sight. I nodded in agreement, not really understanding why Meatlug had developed that strange looking lava. Clearly something more was going on with her than any of us understood. "Okay, tickle at will!" Fishlegs suddenly added.

"Keep your tunic on, boy. I only do dragons," Gobber muttered, looking at Fishlegs in disgust. But he handed the chubby teen the feather anyways. Oh this was not going to end well for Fishlegs. I quickly backed away before things got anymore awkward than it already was.

...

Later that afternoon Fishlegs was busy cleaning Meatlug's scales while Snowfire rested her chin on my lap. The fluttering of wings told us both that the others had returned from their trip. All at once I was reminded of what they had been looking for. I wondered if they were successful in their search.

"Glad to see you're back in one piece," I said as Jacob hopped out of Sniper's saddle. Fishlegs put down the brush and looked at the others warily.

"Did you uh... find your Outcast ship?" he asked cheerfully.

"Do you see an Outcast ship?" Snotlout demanded, holding out his arms as if to prove a point.

"No, we didn't find them," Hiccup replied.

"Well that sucks. I'm sure you'll find it next time," I said with a shrug.

"Fishlegs!" Everyone turned at the sound of Gobber's voice. The blacksmith was holding a newly made sword, a proud smirk written across his face. "Do you know what this is?" he asked while holding out the sword. The twins immediately began to guess.

"Don't tell me! Don't tell me!" Tuffnut piped up. Then Ruffnut cut in, for him.

"Uh... a sword," she answered, earning a glare from the male Thorston.

"I sad don't tell me!" he protested, throwing punches at his sister.

"I wasn't telling you! I was telling him!" Ruffnut snapped and retaliated.

I only rolled my eyes at the sight. The twins and their constant arguing never got old. Gobber was watching the two of them before looking at us.

"Not just any sword... feel it," he tossed the sword towards Fishlegs, but I caught it first. "I made it out of the strange lava that Meatlug barfed up," Gobber explained. The metal felt amazingly light to the touch, and gleamed against the sunlight.

"It's beautiful," I remarked after swinging it a few times. "Light weight, easy to handle."

"I prefer to call it, 'Gronckle Iron'. I got tired of waiting for it to cool. You know what I always say: Pound it while it's hot! Next thing you know, bing, bang boom, and I've created this little beauty," Gobber told us. Astrid than took it from me to try it out, admiring the gleam that reflected off the metal.

"Too light means it would never hold in battle," Astrid criticized, throwing the sword back to Gobber.

"Exactly what I thought, until I did this..." Gobber demonstrated by pulling Snotlout towards him. Our jaws dropped in amazement when Gobber suddenly cut Snotlout's sword with the one he was holding.

"Holy..." I paused when I realized Jacob was giving me 'the look', than rolled my eyes. "... Shields," I finished.

"Whoa," Ruffnut and Tuffnut said at the same time.

"Nice swing," Jacob admitted grudgingly. He'd been practicing his sword fighting and dagger-throwing skills. I still wondered where he found the time to learn, then again I'd been learning myself.

I'd never seen a sword like this, even in our world. It was amazing what one could do with dragon lava. Then again I'm sure something like this would have been discovered sooner or later. Gronckle Iron was tougher than normal steel, which meant it could give anyone an edge in battle.

"Is there any left? I've been wanting a new dagger," Astrid asked.

"New helmets!" the twins exclaimed excitedly.

"Ours are pretty banged up from well... banging," Tuffnut explained.

"I could use a new dagger too, since the one I had was thrown into that pit," Jacob said.

"Yep, it'd go nicely with that new shield of yours," Gobber said with a smile as Hiccup took the sword. He nodded as he brandished the sword a few times in the air.

"Exactly what I was thinking. It could make it stronger and lighter," he explained.

' _Why is there a need for such weaponry_?' Snowfire asked as she eyed the sword curiously. ' _We are perfectly capable of defending ourselves without it_.'

"Well, for starters, humans can't defend themselves as easily," I whispered back. "Second, if you're not around, it would be nice to have something I can defend myself with." Snowfire only looked at me in amusement. We were rarely apart unless the circumstances proved otherwise. She knew that as well as I did.

"Excuse me, why not start with making a new sword for me?" Snotlout demanded, still angry that his sword had been cut in half.

"Why don't you start getting in line?" Gobber retorted. Outside the blacksmith's forge, we could all see that a long line had formed. Apparently, when word of a new weapon spread, it spread fast among the villagers. "The whole town has heard of Meatlug's Gronckle Iron. And they all want a piece of the action," Gobber told us.

Fishlegs only smiled proudly at Meatlug. Finally, they had found something Meatlug could do that the others weren't capable of. I sure hoped things didn't end in disaster for them though. Attention like this could get overwhelming, especially if it was something everyone wanted.

...

The following morning found Fishlegs at the forge with Gobber, Meatlug and I. Apparently Fishlegs had wanted an extra hand for Meatlug, since she wasn't used to getting so much attention. I wasn't even sure what sort of help I could be here. But for now I sat back and watched Fishlegs tickled Meatlug, who threw up in response. A crowd had gathered around the forge to watch on in amazement. A whole assortment of treasures was made with Meatlug's Gronckle Iron, between an axe, sword, mace and even a special helmet for a little girl, who Fishlegs happily signed for.

And Hiccup had finally gotten the shield he'd been working on. I eyed the shield curiously, not having seen it until now. As of late we really hadn't been spending a lot of time together, for many reasons. The Iron Gronckle had contributed to a cool looking silver sheen, with a defined Night Fury insignia on the center. It was only noon, and still more people were crowding around the forge.

' _You would think these humans have never seen weapons before_ ,' Snowfire scoffed with a roll of her eyes. I only smirked at that. Snowfire had such a way with words. Though I'll admit, she did have a point in saying that these people were taking this a little too seriously.

"The Gronckle Iron is doing wonders for my shield," Hiccup said while testing it out.

"Right, how great is this stuff?" Fishlegs asked while handing another Viking a sword. Then Hiccup had the nerve to ask him something I think everyone wanted to know.

"What kind of rocks do you feed her?" Of course, Fishlegs wouldn't remember what sort of rocks Meatlug had eaten. At the time she'd eaten so many that it was hard to keep track of them all. Plus, my geology wasn't all that good to begin with. So Fishlegs did something I was not expecting. He lied.

"Well, actually I can't tell you," he said carefully.

"No?" Gobber asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"It's a trade secret. If I told you, I'd have to mace you," Fishlegs chuckled nervously while Hiccup and Gobber looked at him skeptically.

' _This is not going to end well_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as she watched us from inside.

"Oi, here's those swords you ordered, Alex," Gobber suddenly said, handing me a pair of matching swords. Hiccup eyed them curiously as I grinned. If there's one thing I wanted to learn, it was practicing with double swords.

"For security purposes," I explained after eyeing the silver blades. Imagine my mom's surprise if I came home with these. The look on her face would be priceless. Then Astrid chose that moment to fly in on Stormfly.

"Hiccup! The sentries say they spotted another boat! We have to go, now!" she announced anxiously.

Without a second thought I'd put the swords back in their sheathe; Gobber had made it for me when I asked him about the duel blades. He'd pretty much gotten the idea right down to the point, and once again I was thankful for his skills.

"You coming, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked while I was hopping into Snowfire's saddle. Fishlegs looked at him warily before glancing at the crowd of Vikings waiting in line.

"I would love to, Hiccup. But as you and Alex can see, Meatlug and I are pretty busy," Fishlegs replied with a shrug.

Something told me there was another reason behind him not wanting to join us. Snotlout was about to get another ass whooping for this.

"Okay... thanks again for the swords," I said to both Gobber and Fishlegs.

...

Fishlegs turned to Meatlug once his friends had left and petted her as Gobber approached him. "We're getting low on Gronckle Iron, Fishlegs," he told the Ingerman boy, then handed him a feather.

"Okay, girl. Let's make some magic," Fishlegs said while tickling Meatlug with the feather. But all Meatlug could cough up was a pair of metal spheres. No special lava that made up the Gronckle Iron came out at all.

"Huh, what am I supposed to do with _that_ , Fishlegs? Make someone a fetching pair of indestructible earrings?" Gobber asked with a raised eyebrow, just as he said that a Viking had hollered for that order. "Not gonna happen, Gunnar!" he shouted back. The crowd was beginning to look at Fishlegs and Meatlug suspiciously as he tried desperately to get more of that strange lava from her. "Alright, boy. I think it's time you told me your ' _trade secret_ '," he sighed.

That was how Fishlegs and Gobber found themselves in the rock-infested forest by the cliffs later that afternoon. The blacksmith carried a wheelbarrow in the hopes of finding enough rocks to last them for a few months. Meanwhile Fishlegs was trying to find the spot where Meatlug had found those rocks that caused the strange lava in the first place.

"Okay, this is it," Fishlegs announced after reaching a familiar bush covered in berries.

"Alright, let's load 'er up," Gobber instructed. Then he noticed there were too many different types of rocks to make out. "Care to tell me which one of these is the wondrous rock?" he asked.

"With pleasure," Fishlegs replied confidently. Deep inside he was struggling not to show just how nervous he was. He really hadn't remembered what kind of rocks Meatlug had eaten to produce the Gronckle Iron. Maybe Alex would have remembered, but he doubted having her here would help. Fishlegs looked down at each rock, frowning after realizing they all looked alike. Sure they had subtle differences, but it was impossible to tell which ones produced Gronckle Iron. "Okay... no, no... not that one... that one kind of resembles... wait a minute, it-it could be..." Fishlegs went on stuttering before Gobber finally looked over his shoulder in frustration.

"You don't know, do you?" he asked skeptically. Gobber's question sent Fishlegs immediately over to the berry bush as he struggled to remember what the rock looked like. The blacksmith only rolled his eyes when he realized Fishlegs was stress-eating.

"Of course I... do! It's just, well, rocks can be very... you, you know..." Fishlegs began stuttering once again through mouthfuls of berries. Between his swallowing and chewing, Fishlegs swore he heard Gobber say, 'no, do tell me.' He held back a sigh and looked at the rocks. "Meatlug and I were very emotional that day. She-She was eating everything in sight," he admitted while eating more berries. Luckily Gobber had stopped Fishlegs before he got sick again.

" _She_ was?" he repeated in both sympathy and amusement while nonchalantly popping a few berries into his own mouth.

"Yes, it was a tough day for both of us," Fishlegs explained with a nod while pressing his finger indexes together. Gobber just looked at him skeptically. "Okay, fine! I don't know what kind of rocks make Gronckle Iron! I'm a failure, a liar, a fraud! Is that what you wanted to hear?" he broke out into a sob, flinging himself at Gobber out of pure shame. The blacksmith held him steady.

"Listen to me!" he snapped.

"Okay," Fishlegs replied almost instantly.

"We just pick up as many different rocks as we can find. We'll try them one at a time, and, eventually, we'll land on the winner," Gobber instructed. Fishlegs could only look at Gobber hopefully.

"Promise?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Gobber replied as they went on to gather all the rocks they could find.

...

The hunt for the Outcast ship had ended in miserable failure. Hiccup and the others were gathered in the arena again, discussing a new plan for their scouting missions. It was almost as if the Outcasts knew we were looking for them. Note my sarcasm.

"Well that was a complete waste of time," Hiccup remarked.

"Somehow I get the feeling they don't want to be found," Jacob put in as if he'd read my thoughts. The looks everyone gave him was priceless. "You would think after doubling back five times, they'd be pretty easy to spot."

"Really? That was the same place? It looked so different..." Tuffnut said. Snotlout crossed his arms in annoyance.

"That's because you were flying upside down, you muttonhead," he reminded Tuffnut.

"Oh yeah... fun though..." Tuffnut said dreamily.

"Yeah, well, that wasn't the only problem," I pointed out. "Some of the areas we flew in required some tricky maneuvers our dragons couldn't do very well." To which Snowfire rolled her eyes in annoyance. She wasn't one to admit defeat, especially when it came to a game of chase.

"You know, we needed someone to keep track of our positioning," Astrid added in agreement.

"Yeah, and some low-speed hovering could have helped over that sea stack," Hiccup piped in.

"And that could have all been accomplished if a certain duo had joined us... if you hadn't scared them away," I finished, shooting Snotlout a cold glare. After what he had said to Fishlegs, he wasn't going to get any forgiveness anytime soon.

"I know," Astrid remarked, adding in the fun of intimidating Snotlout.

"Oh, come on! You're not talking about him, are you?" he groaned in annoyance.

"Oh no! Not him... are you?" Tuffnut asked, not sure what Snotlout was talking about. "Wait, who are you talking about?" he added.

"I have no idea, but he sounds pretty important, so it can't be you," Ruffnut replied with a shrug.

' _You two are hopeless_ ,' Snowfire growled. I smirked at that, having already guessed that the twins would make some kind of remark about who we were mentioning. Of course they weren't smart enough to figure it out without some helpful hints.

"We're talking about Fishlegs," Hiccup told them after looking at Snowfire in amusement.

"We're a team, and on a team, everybody has a role to play," Astrid told Snotlout and the twins.

"And, despite what you might think, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Meatlug play a vital role in our team. They aren't completely helpless," I chimed in.

"Astrid and Alex are right. We're all important. When one of us is missing, it's just not the same," Hiccup agreed with us.

"It's your fault. You made him quit," Snotlout had the nerve to point out.

That did it. Without a second thought I slugged him in the nose, ignoring whatever sensibility I had left of him. Snotlout let out a cry of surprise and pain as I started beating him. After everything he said and did to Fishlegs, there was no way in hell I'd stop now. It wasn't until Jacob had calmed me down that I finally stopped.

"Let that be another reminder of how we treat bullies from our world," I grumbled after dusting off my shirt.

...

We'd flown back to the forge to find it in chaos. A crowd of Vikings had gathered outside, complaining about the fact that their orders had not been filled yet. Inside I could see that things weren't any better for Fishlegs and Meatlug. He was frantically tickling her with a feather until she spewed out some lava.

' _These humans are beginning to irritate me_ ,' Snowfire growled as one of the Vikings nearly pushed her aside to yell at Fishlegs.

"There he is! What are we gonna do?" Astrid asked as we approached him.

"I could pound on him until he agrees to come back," Snotlout suggested, earning another glare from me. To which he actually flinched and hid behind Astrid.

"Whatever happened to just having a civilized conversation with him?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes. Hiccup nodded in agreement, watching as the crowd began to get a little out of hand while Fishlegs tried finding the right rocks Meatlug had eaten earlier.

"What's wrong with the pounding? I like pounding... poundcake, I like measuring my weight in pounds," Tuffnut rambled on.

I only rolled my eyes at Tuffnut counting his fingers while trying to find all the 'good' things about pounding. We struggled to push our way through the crowd.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup shouted.

When Fishlegs didn't see him, he started waving his arms up and down while calling his name repeatedly. This only stirred the crowd more than they needed to. Once again I rolled my eyes as they started chanting his name. Fishlegs already got nervous enough when he was put under pressure. This was only making things worse. Slowly I pushed my way into the forge while everyone else was still chanting his name. The frantic look on his face told me everything I needed to know.

"You know, I once saw a Viking mob turn on one of their own," said Gobber as Fishlegs started shaking in his boots. "Tore the poor sot limb from limb. It started just like this, too."

"It's just that Meatlug ate so many rocks. I can't remember which one she ate!" Fishlegs exclaimed, throwing me a pleading look.

"Sorry 'Legs, I'm no geology expert," I said with a shake of my head. Oh how I loved modern-day terms.

"Wait... that's it!" Fishlegs sighed in relief once he found a familiar rock. Gobber went outside to address the already building crowd. Something told me this was not going to end well, for anyone.

"Hold on to your tunics, folks! You want Gronckle Iron? You got the Gronckle Iron!" he shouted before heading back into the stall. "I like your enthusiasm in the face of disembodiment. I just hope for your sake, you're backing it up with a plan," he added.

"Oh, I am. It must have been a combination of rocks that made the Gronckle Iron. That's the only explanation," Fishlegs explained as they placed a variety of rocks inside Meatlug's mouth. Meatlug happily chewed the boulders without a second thought.

Something told me that combining the rocks was a very bad thing. For a while nothing had happened. But than, a weird vibrating noise emanated from Meatlug.

"What kind of rocks did you feed her?" I asked nervously.

"Well... something's happening..." Fishlegs replied, looking at me uneasily.

What happened next made everyone jump in surprise. The shovel in Gobber's hand was suddenly pulled right towards Meatlug out of his mighty grip. "Did you see that? Just pulled it right out of me hand!" Gobber exclaimed, wide-eyed. Another metal tool stuck onto Meatlug, and I nearly facepalmed after realizing they must have fed her a magnetic rock. This was going to end in disaster, especially for a village that relied so heavily on metal.

"Her skin is attracting the metal!" Fishlegs managed to say in shock. More magnetic objects were flying towards Meatlug, freaking the poor Gronckle out. Whatever was going on, she clearly didn't enjoy it. "Stay calm, girl. Stay calm... daddy's here, okay?" Fishlegs asked soothingly. Finally, another shield had flown towards Meatlug and she completely freaked out. "No, Meatlug! Meatlug, come back!" Fishlegs shouted frantically as spears went flying towards a fleeing Meatlug. "Hiccup, Alex, you two have to help Meatlug!"

"What's wrong with her?" Hiccup asked as he got onto Toothless.

"She must have eaten magnetic rocks," I replied while hopping onto Snowfire. My statement only earned looks of confusion from both Hiccup and Fishlegs. I rolled my eyes after realizing they probably weren't too familiar with that kind of geology. Snotlout chose that moment to chase after Meatlug, though I doubted he had any good intentions in finding her.

"Okay, Snotlout, we have to herd her away from town," Hiccup instructed.

"On it!" Snotlout replied while getting Hookfang to fly lower to keep up with Meatlug. Meanwhile Fishlegs continued shouting for Meatlug, oblivious to the fact that everyone else was trying to help. "You're all mine, Meaty!" Snotlout shouted, preparing to use Hookfang with force.

"Stop! Cease, please?" Fishlegs continued shouting. Meatlug was still running when Snotlout got Hookfang to fly right alongside of her. While Snotlout prepared to jump off Hookfang and tackle Meatlug to pull her aside, Hookfang turned his head towards Fishlegs. "Wait! Stop! Heel!" I tried not to laugh when Hookfang actually listened to Fishlegs' command and stopped, throwing Snotlout off in the process and into a pile of sacks filled with crops.

"We've got this, Snotlout," I reassured him as Snowfire and Toothless flew past.

"I meant to do that, you know," Snotlout retorted before screaming as a Terrible Terror crawled up his chest.

...

' _This is like hunting down unsuspecting prey_ ,' Snowfire hummed with satisfaction. I rolled my eyes at that remark. Yes, this was like chasing down some wild animal. But Meatlug was scared, and seeing her now only gave me a sense of urgency as she started flying. The Gronckle started bumping into trees in an attempt to get the metal off, but to no avail. The trees were too close together. Both Snowfire and Toothless were flying higher now, Meatlug still in our sight.

"Ah, this isn't working. Let's try getting ahead and cutting her off," Hiccup suggested.

"Got it," I replied, ignoring the fact that this was really the first time in a long time we'd actually worked together. Once we were directly ahead, Hiccup guided Toothless on a certain route with Snowfire close behind.

Meatlug's run had come to an abrupt end when she reached a cliff. The nervous Gronckle looked around frantically for an escape route, but couldn't find any. And that's when Toothless and Snowfire came in for a landing.

"Easy Meatlug, it's me, your old pals Hiccup and Alex," Hiccup tried reassuring the nervous Gronckle.

"We're going to figure this out, but you have to stay still," I added cautiously. Meatlug's eyes widened as she started backing away fearfully.

"No, no, no... easy, girl. I'm here to help you." Hiccup chose that moment to step towards Meatlug, and my eyes widened as I realized that metal was attracted to her. And of course, Hiccup's leg was made of metal. Fishlegs had joined us shortly after and was shouting frantically at him.

"Hiccup!" he called.

"Not now, Fishlegs," Hiccup snapped.

"No, no, you don't understand," Fishlegs tried telling him once again.

"Not now, Fishlegs." Was there an echo out here? I rolled my eye after realizing there wasn't much point in arguing.

"I'd listen to his advice, it might save you the embarrassment," I muttered crossly after backing into Snowfire. She hummed in amusement at the look Hiccup gave me.

"It's metal—" Before Fishlegs could finish his sentence, Hiccup's leg slipped out from underneath him, making him fall to the ground. "Your leg," he managed to finish. I tried not to laugh when Hiccup was suddenly pulled to Meatlug's belly.

"Oh, gotcha," he muttered after realizing his mistake.

It only made the scene all the more hilarious when Meatlug started flying off, with Hiccup hanging upside down from her belly screaming. God, sometimes I wished I had a camera. I would never let him live this one down.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Fishlegs yelled after them.

"Absolutely no idea!" Hiccup yelled back, Toothless watching the whole scene in amusement.

' _Are you not going to help_?' Snowfire asked, humming in amusement at the sight.

"I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "Seems like a good position for him." The four of us watched Meatlug fly away with Hiccup still attached to her belly. Toothless then gave Fishlegs a look as the Ingerman boy looked back.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked. Toothless then gestured to his saddle as I hopped into Snowfire's saddle. "Oh, I was afraid you were."

"Well, someone has to ride him. Snow doesn't like anyone else riding her," I explained warily.

' _And that human will certainly not be you_ ,' she added in a soft growl.

"Alright, Toothless. Let's not break any world speed records," Fishlegs sighed after putting his foot in the stirrup that was designed for people with normal legs. Luckily for Fishlegs, Hiccup had decided to put two types of stirrups on Toothless' saddle. One set for people with normal legs, and another for people who had metal legs like him. "Just give me the 'Night' without the 'Fury'."

' _Would you hurry up already_?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks," Fishlegs retorted. I nearly facepalmed when he tried figuring out how to open Toothless' tail-fin. "This looks like it could present a—" Fishlegs than managed to open the tail-fin, and screamed as Toothless suddenly shot into the air like a rocket. "Problem!"

"Well, at least he got the tail-fin open," I said as Snowfire flew after them.

"Too much Fury! Too much Fury!" Fishlegs shouted in panic while clinging on for dear life. They soon managed to catch up with Hiccup and Meatlug. "Daddy's coming, Meatlug. He may be barfing, but he's coming." Fishlegs than managed to grab the handles on Toothless' saddle to keep him more stable.

"You're finally getting it," I said with a grin as Snowfire flew alongside Toothless.

"Yeah, it's easy once you get the hang of it," Fishlegs replied. "Now, let's get in close." We both flew on a little faster to catch up with Meatlug. Surprisingly she was faster than I remembered. Maybe being in panic mode had encouraged that extra boost of speed. "Easy, now. She's going to go left there. Stay in her blind spot." I nodded after realizing that he was right, again. "Okay, now right." Fishlegs was actually great to work with. Snowfire followed his orders with ease as he told us to dive. "Good, now level off."

' _Well done, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire praised him. Wow, getting a praise from Snowfire. That in itself was rare. Fishlegs beamed with pride as he watched Meatlug carefully. I tried not to laugh when I saw Hiccup watching us both from his position upside down.

"Hey," Hiccup greeted us awkwardly.

"Hey," Fishlegs replied.

"I so wish I had a camera right now." I smirked at the look of disbelief Hiccup gave me. "This is what we like to call, Karma." Hiccup only rolled his eyes at that.

"So, how's it going?" Hiccup asked, trying to ignore the awkward tension.

"Better than expected," Fishlegs replied.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there," I reassured him.

"Yeah... so, this may be a bad time," Hiccup started. "But I really wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving you behind the other day."

"Hiccup..." Fishlegs began, but Hiccup cut him off.

"I know, I know. You volunteered. But I still should have—" This time Fishlegs cut him off.

"Hiccup, I'm trying to concentrate here," Fishlegs retorted.

' _Now is not the time for foolish apologies_ ,' Snowfire added.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Hiccup paused before suddenly stopping Fishlegs again. "Wait!"

"Seriously, can we talk about our feelings later?" Fishlegs asked, now getting annoyed.

"No, look!" Hiccup was pointing to something behind us.

The four of us turned to see what Hiccup was pointing at. To my surprise and horror, an Outcast ship was sailing behind us. I realized with dread that they had spotted us as well, and were readying their catapults and crossbows.

"They're getting ready to fire," Fishlegs realized out loud.

"No shit, Sherlock," I grumbled under my breath. Seeing the Outcast ship only brought back bad memories of our time stuck there.

"I know, I've got an idea," Hiccup suddenly announced. He grabbed Meatlug's front legs so he could be upright. He then looked at her. "Dive!" he yelled. The three dragons dived towards the ship.

"On my command..." Savage began as Meatlug flew closer to the ship. "Steady... Steady... and..." He was cut off when the ship began to rock as the dragons flew closer. The weapons were suddenly pulled right out of their hands and went after Meatlug.

"Excellent!" Hiccup cheered. I rolled my eyes after noticing the weapons were flying towards him and Meatlug. "Oh, not so excellent."

"I got this," Fishlegs reassured him.

"I sure hope you do," I said.

Fishlegs then flew Toothless underneath Meatlug and tickled her belly. She spit out the magnet, and everything that was stuck to her went flying towards the magnet. By now I was struggling not to laugh again as Hiccup also fell, then landed on Toothless' back.

"Laugh now, fools!" Savage yelled. "But he lives by the dragon—" He stopped when every single metal object that was attached to Meatlug started flying towards him and the ship. "Oh, great!" Every one of the metal objects fell to the ship, cutting holes and destroying what was left of it.

Once we were a safe distance from the ship, Fishlegs switched from Toothless to Meatlug and sighed in relief.

"Oh, much better," Fishlegs sighed in contentment as Meatlug licked him affectionately. "Oh, I missed you too."

"Well, I think this day couldn't get any stranger," I sighed once the tension had died away.

"Yeah, no kidding," Hiccup muttered, referring to his time upside down on Meatlug.

"I just don't want to live through that again," Fishlegs added.

We all laughed in agreement to that before heading for Berk.

...

Later that day, I, along with Snowfire, Fishlegs and Meatlug headed back to the forge. We found Gobber waiting their, picking his ears with his hook, oblivious to the fact that others were watching him. "Well, if it isn't Berk's conquering heroes," he greeted us. "Ready to get back to some real work? I've got orders up to my skivvies," he added cheerfully.

I glanced at Fishlegs expectantly. He'd learned quite a lot over the last couple of hours. One of those things involved learning that he was actually part of the team. And that despite what Snotlout thought, we needed his knowledge and skill with Meatlug.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Our responsibilities to the Academy are gonna keep us pretty busy," Fishlegs replied. For a moment, Gobber looked disappointed, but not too surprised. Fishlegs hadn't been all too comfortable dealing with that large crowd. Being part of the Dragon Riders proved a much more important roll.

"Eh, understandable. Well, in that case, I have something for you," Gobber said, presenting Fishlegs with the very first object he'd made with the Gronckle Iron. I looked at the sword in amazement. It was similar to the double-swords Gobber had made for me. Only this one was elegant and shiny looking.

"But... that's the very first sword you made... for yourself," Fishlegs told him hesitantly.

"It is, but anyone who drives off an Outcast boat deserves her," Gobber reassured him.

"Thanks..." Fishlegs glanced at me uneasily, and I just shrugged. I'd only helped when I could, but it was Fishlegs who mostly helped bring down the Outcast ship. "But I didn't do it alone," he added, patting Meatlug gently.

"I know. That's why I made Meatlug these fetching pair of earrings," Gobber told him, handing Meatlug a pair of metal earrings made from the Iron Gronckle, who happily swallowed them.

Hiccup chose that moment to join us on the back of Toothless. "Fishlegs, where have you been? We've been looking all over the island for you. We need you!"

I couldn't help but grin at the expression on Fishlegs' face. Clearly he wasn't expecting such a warm reception.

"You hear that, girl? _They_ need _us_!" he exclaimed.

Meatlug growled happily as Fishlegs got into her saddle. Toothless was already joining the other Dragon Riders when Meatlug caught up with them. Seeing the gang together almost made me feel a little reluctant to join them. Gobber hadn't missed the fact that I didn't join them.

"Oi, something going on between you and Hiccup?" he asked cheekily.

"What? Nothing's going on between us," I tried retorting. Then I looked down at the floor as I wondered if things would ever be the same. He didn't trust me now because I hadn't told him the truth. But I was afraid, things would only get worse if he knew what my father had done to me. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Well, considering the fact that you two have been avoiding each other, I'd say it is," Gobber replied with a look of concern. "Hiccup isn't normally one to back away from his friends."

I nodded in agreement, not really sure whether it was safe to tell Gobber what was really going on. Given the fact that he had been Hiccup's mentor for most of his life, they probably didn't keep many secrets from each other.

' _You should tell him_ ,' Snowfire growled softly, nudging my back gently. ' _He can be trusted_.' I glanced at Snowfire warily before looking back at Gobber.

"Gobber, can I tell you something I haven't told anyone other than Jacob?" I suddenly asked. The blacksmith looked at me in surprise before nodding. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else about this, not even Hiccup." I paused as I looked down at the floor once again. "I'm not sure he would look at me the same way again."

"Alex, you can trust me with your life," Gobber reassured me.

For a moment I didn't know where to start. Then I decided to explain how abusive my father was. Gobber's face paled as I mentioned the one night when my life had changed forever. He was drunk that night. The first night he was drunk, he'd thrown a knife in my direction out of rage. The knife had cut clean across my shoulder, leaving a scar that would never fade. I shuddered at the memory. The worst though, was when he had used me.

I'd never felt more victimized than that night. I couldn't find the courage to tell my mom. He'd threatened to kill her if I told her. It scared me beyond belief, and that was the day I swore I would never trust men. By the time I was finished, Gobber looked as if he was going to throw up.

Snowfire gently pressed her snout against the back of my hand comfortingly. Even she hadn't heard the entire story. And strangely enough, it felt good to get it off my chest.

' _I am so sorry, little one_ ,' she whispered.

"What that man did to you..." Gobber spoke quietly at first, than narrowed his eyes with fury. "If he'd done that on Berk, we'd throw him off the island and set the ship on fire, and not even Helheim would want him."

I looked at Gobber in surprise before realizing that he was telling the truth. Execution at it's best, Viking style. I wondered if my father would ever regret doing what he did, if we'd grown up on Berk. Suddenly I wrapped my arms around the blacksmith in a hug. He was caught off guard by my reaction, but returned the gesture nonetheless.

"Thank you, Gobber, for being a good friend," I whispered. "Life on Berk just wouldn't be the same without you."

"And you have a good soul, Alex. Don't you ever change that," he told me.

* * *

 **AN: I think I like the movie version of Gobber better than the book version. Yes, I have been reading the books. And it's amazing how different they are compared to the movies. Anywho, I hope that helps anyone understand exactly what's going on with Alex and Hiccup. Alex keeps her secrets for a reason, and trusts Gobber enough to keep them. Onto review replies!**

 **KupcakeKrazed101 - You'll have to wait and see what they do! Jessica will definitely play a bigger roll towards the end of the second series, that's for sure :P**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Maybe this chapter explains it? ;) I do love throwing in some drama!**

 **OechsnerC - It shall indeed be interesting...**

 **Wild Cat 124 - Lol, adding drama always makes the story that much better. And I love annoying readers with it XD**


	35. The Night And The Fury

**Chapter Thirty Five**

Another day of training in the Academy went by. All of the Viking teens were gathered in the arena while Hiccup told them about Astrid's wonderful plan.

"Okay, gang, over here. Tomorrow's training session was actually Astrid's idea, so Alex and I will let her explain it," Hiccup explained after gesturing to the Hofferson girl.

Everyone minus Hiccup, Jacob and I groaned. By now we'd gotten used to Astrid's vigorous training exercises. She was actually the one who'd taught me a few defensive moves, and I'd learned quite a lot from them. I looked at the dragons in amusement when even they looked a bit disappointed.

"What?" she asked.

"Your training missions are hard," Fishlegs complained.

"They are not," Astrid retorted.

"Hand to claw combat," Fishlegs pointed out, revealing a bandaged hand.

"Spine dodging," Snotlout added.

"Hot lava swimming?" added Tuffnut.

"We never did that," I pointed out, thankful we haven't yet.

"Yeah, but we should've. It's way better than hand to claw combat," Tuffnut retorted.

"No offense, Astrid, but your training missions are a bit harsh," I put in, glancing at the others warily. Already I'd gone through half of my medical supplies that were normally applied to dragon wounds. Luckily they worked just as well on humans. "Maybe you might want to tone it down a bit... I can't gather enough supplies to last us for another month if this keeps up."

Astrid gave me one look that said she would talk about this later. While I had no problems with her rigorous training, I did have a valid point. Finding herbs, especially on this island, was difficult. Usually I had to go out with Snowfire on her island to gather what supplies were needed.

"Well, this mission is easy," Astrid explained while pulling out a map that showed Dragon Island. "You just have to go from this beach on the east side to this cave on the west side." Well, that didn't seem all that bad. I was surprised Astrid could restrain herself. "At night," Astrid added without missing a beat. Cue the groans that followed. "With no camping gear." More groans. "And no dragons." And even more groans.

I glanced at Snowfire uneasily as she glared at Astrid. If there was one thing I'd learned about her, it was that she didn't like being separated. And judging by the glare she was giving, this wasn't an exception.

' _I will not abandon my rider_ ,' Snowfire retorted, shooting Astrid a look that would've sent any other Viking packing. Unfortunately, Astrid wasn't like any other Viking.

"What? That's crazy! What's the point?" Snotlout demanded, giving Astrid a glare of his own. Astrid just looked excited as she explained tomorrow's mission.

"To work on our stealth skill and our Wild Dragon Defense," she explained. "Think about it, what would happen if we were without our dragons on an unknown island? We'd be defenseless."

"What about her? She can bond with most dragons," Tuffnut pointed out, gesturing to me.

"Astrid's right," Hiccup agreed with the blond shield-maiden, ignoring Tuffnut's comment. "We all know how strong we are _with_ our dragons, but we have to be able to survive and defend ourselves if we ever get separated from them."

"It's like boy scouts all over again," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes. "Only this time we won't have a compass to guide us anywhere."

"You're not scared, are you?" I asked with a smirk. By now I'd gotten used to outdoor survival skills. Being on Berk had helped enhance them.

"Well, not really. Just... a bit on edge," he admitted with a shrug.

I just laughed at that and patted him on the shoulder. There were times when I loved making references to our world, especially just to see the looks on everyone's faces. But this was not one of those times. Tonight was going to be interesting.

...

That night, we'd landed on Dragon Island.

All of us were holding lanterns and had packed weapons to defend ourselves with. Hiccup brought his new shield, Astrid brought her battle axe, while I brought along my double-swords. I'd been practicing with them over the last couple of days, and my fencing skills were getting better with each day. Fishlegs had a hammer with him, while Snotlout, the twins and Jacob carried a sword.

"Okay, one of us is going to have to skip the drill and take the dragons into the cave on the other side of the island. That way, they won't try and stop us," Hiccup explained just as a Deadly Nadder flew towards us. At that moment, Toothless, Snowfire and Stormfly fired warning shots at it, effectively scaring it off. "Just like that. Okay, so, who's going to watch the dragons?"

' _We should be going with you_ ,' Snowfire growled softly, nudging me with her snout. I simply patted her on the shoulder.

"You know the rules, Snow," I reminded her. "Go with them, I'll be fine."

"I think the obvious choice is—" Fishlegs' enthusiastic response was cut off when Tuffnut suddenly chimed in,

"Me! I volunteer."

"But – but I have way more dragon knowledge," Fishlegs protested.

"Yeah, in a book," Tuffnut retorted. "But I... feel them, in here." He placed a hand on his heart as if to prove his point. "Besides, I did say 'me' first."

"Ah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tuffnut's right," Hiccup cut in. "Fishlegs, no one can argue with your dragon knowledge. But if Alvin attacks with his dragons, we need to be able to face them any day or night, on our own, without help."

"I hate it when you make sense," Fishlegs grumbled.

A few seconds had passed before we were saying goodbye. Snowfire had pressed her snout against my forehead as my hands were wrapped around her. Being apart was difficult for us. I never realized how much I relied on Snowfire for support.

' _Promise me that you will stay safe, little one_ ,' she spoke in an oddly soothing voice.

"I will," I reassured her. "And try not to go looking for me behind Tuffnut's back. I don't like cheating."

Snowfire only hummed in amusement at that, and blew out an icy mist on my face. Once we'd said our goodbyes, Snowfire reluctantly stayed behind as Toothless started following us.

"No, no, no, Toothless," Hiccup scolded as the Night Fury tried getting ahead. "You have to stay with Tuffnut." Toothless looked at him in confusion, than gave Tuffnut an annoyed look. Oh, I could already see this would not end well with Tuffnut. "I can't believe I'm saying this either, but, uh, he's the boss."

"That's right. You heard that. Boss man. Head honcho. The big... boss honcho guy. The honch-boss," Tuffnut began spitting out randomly. "Hey, anybody know where that cave is?" he suddenly asked. I nearly facepalmed at that question. "Just messing with you..." he started laughing nervously. "Or am I?"

I watched Snowfire leave with the other dragons reluctantly. My heart felt heavy at the thought of leaving her behind. But I knew that this kind of training could save both of us in the future.

"Remember, this about stealth, not speed. It doesn't matter how fast you get there. What's important is how you handle a wild dragon if you ever come across one," Hiccup explained. "Understand?" We all nodded in agreement, and started walking off in different directions. "Alright, good luck everyone. I'll see you back at the cave."

...

Meanwhile, Tuffnut had managed to get all the dragons into the cave. It was the same cave where they had taken down the Red Death, and an eerie feeling seemed to surround everyone. Snowfire had kept to herself for the most part while Toothless and the others started a campfire.

"Alright, who's up for an all-nighter?" Tuffnut asked his dragon companions, who only yawned in response. "You guys are gonna love my ghost stories."

Snowfire only rolled her eyes at the male twin. She had tried making her way out of the cave, followed closely by Toothless, when Tuffnut suddenly jumped in front of them.

"Hey, not so fast, Mr. Night Fury and Miss White Terror!" Tuffnut scolded, crossing his arms. "Remember the mission: No dragon help. That means you two. Besides, _I'm_ in charge."

' _Do you really want to challenge my strength_?' Snowfire thought incredulously.

Of course the male Thorston twin didn't hear her. It seemed only those with enough intelligence could hear her thoughts, and Tuffnut cocked his head stupidly to one side.

Then Toothless suddenly whacked his tail at Tuffnut's face, sending him flying into a stalactite. Barf and Belch, Hookfang, and Meatlug merely looked at him with bored expressions while Snowfire hummed in amusement. Tuffnut was now hanging from the ceiling, looking down at the dragons in annoyance.

"Yeah, I knew that was coming! Uh, little help here? Help out your boss honcho?" he asked while dangling from the ceiling. Toothless obliged by firing a plasma blast at the stalactite, freeing Tuffnut.

' _Something tells me that this is going to be a long night_ ,' Snowfire sighed in annoyance. Toothless only warbled in agreement.

...

Astrid had been doing well by jumping from rock to rock. This training was just what she needed. Her skills needed some toning, especially when it came to stealth. It was the best aspect she had when it came to keeping an eye on those who could turn on the people of Berk. Besides, she mostly used those skills to keep an eye on Alex and her friends. Something about those three had always thrown Astrid off, and she especially didn't like Alex.

Her thoughts were cut short when she came face-to-face with a wild Deadly Nadder, the same one from before.

"Okay... a wild Nadder... should be simple enough. Move to the blind spot and..." Astrid tried moving to the side where it was more difficult to spot her. But the moment she tried moving was when the Nadder roared at her. "Playing the spine game, huh?" she asked while doing a cartwheel to maneuver around the spikes it was throwing. Then she did a somersault just as it fired more spines. The wild Nadder squawked in outrage, clearly not happy that some human was giving it such a hard time. "So, what do you wanna do now?" she demanded tauntingly.

The Nadder had decided at that point that it had enough with this strange human. It's wings ruffled in shame as it crawled away in defeat and humiliation.

...

Snotlout confidently jumped from boulder to boulder while brandishing his sword. "Snotlout Jorgenson... Super Viking!" he said cockily as he lay down on a fallen log. "At home in the wilderness and—" Snotlout suddenly shouted as he fell from the log and into a tide pool.

He climbed out of the pool in time to see three Terrible Terrors crawling out of their hiding place. "Alright, bring it on, wild dragons! I'm ready for you!" he said boldly, face set with determination. The three Terrors merely looked at him with their large eyes. "Okay? You want some? You wanna piece of Snotlout?" he jeered them on, and the red and orange colored one started getting annoyed with his arrogance. "Bring it on, you little—" Snotlout didn't get the chance to finish his challenge when all three Terrors suddenly lunged at him. Snotlout screamed in surprise when he was suddenly thrown into the tide pool again.

...

Meanwhile, in the more densely forested part of the island, Ruffnut carefully crept along the fern-covered floor. Hearing a roar in the distance, the female Thorston twin turned around in time to see a wild Monstrous Nightmare right in front of her.

"Monstrous Nightmares... fast in a straight line, but not so good in turns," she tried to recite what Alex had told her. "He's probably as afraid of me as I am of him... right?" she asked hesitantly. But the Monstrous Nightmare was creeping towards her, and Ruffnut realized that it was now a good time to flee. "Nope, I'm definitely more afraid!" she shouted in panic, dropping her weapon in the process of running, only to realize that the dragon was chasing after her. "Left! Left!" she shrieked as she rounded the corner, only to come face-to-face with the dragon again. "Right! Right!" she shouted, getting the same results. "It's like he's inside my head!" Poor Ruffnut wasn't even aware that she had been running in circles the entire time until finally running in a straight line.

...

"Cold and mi-miserable," Fishlegs stuttered before hearing something come through the bush. "What was that? Who's there?" he asked nervously, holding up his lantern. As he cautiously made his way through the forest, Fishlegs muttered under his breath, "Thanks, Astrid... Definitely helping with the survival here." That was when he realized too late that a Typhoomerang was right behind him.

...

It was oddly peaceful as I continued walking alone. Jacob had split off in a different direction to test his 'survival' skills. So far I hadn't run into any wild dragons. Which surprised me, and made me nervous. Something told me that it shouldn't be this easy. Dragons lived on Dragon Island, and wild dragons had a tendency to find me when I least expected.

That was when I noticed a pair of Gronckles butting heads with each other off in the distance. Two large stones were thrown in their direction, and the Gronckles jumped at them eagerly. I rolled my eyes at the sight, having already learned that Gronckles were far too easy to please.

My eyes narrowed when I realized that someone had thrown those stones to distract them. Obviously I wouldn't be alone on the island, but the chances of running into the others were pretty slim. Carefully I unsheathed my swords and ducked behind a bush.

"Quartz, you guys are so predictable." I almost groaned at the sound of Hiccup's voice. Only I would end up running into him of all the Riders stuck o the island. I quickly put my swords away and stepped out of the bush, only to find Hiccup looking at me in surprise. "Alex, what are—?" I cut him off before he could finish his question.

"Don't ask, I don't want to know," I replied with a shake of my head. "I see we're not the only ones camping out on the island," I added after noticing a campfire in the distance. Hiccup and I exchanged looks.

Campfires were anything but stealthy. Something told me that the other Riders were not responsible for this. Which could only mean that we were obviously not alone out here.

"We should probably see who's behind it," he suggested, gesturing to the smoke and flames in question.

I just rolled my eyes and nodded in agreement. Right, because sauntering into a campsite was always the best option. But, it wasn't like I had any choice in the matter. If I turned tail and ran, nothing good would come out of that.

...

' _I'm bored_ ,' Snowfire announced as Tuffnut rambled on with his 'ghost stories'. She couldn't stand listening to the male twin any longer. Toothless and the other dragons were pretty much in the same boat. They all had looks that said it all.

"Scratch, scratch... Who stole my golden hook? Scratch... scrrraaatttccchhh... Then he turned around and said, ' **YOU DID**!'!" The male twin had pointed an accusing finger at Meatlug, who simply rolled her eyes in annoyance while the other dragons just yawned. "Ooh, tough cave," he remarked after getting no response.

Both Toothless and Snowfire were tired of listening to Tuffnut's stories. They had fallen asleep when Snowfire suddenly jerked away, her head tilted towards the cave entrance while Toothless' ears flapped. Snowfire hated leaving her Rider behind, especially when she sensed the danger that surrounded the island.

Snowfire was just about to leave when Toothless had noticed. The Night Fury crept after her until Tuffnut finally spotted them leaving the cave.

"Look, I get it. You're both worried about your other halves. I feel both of your pains. Well, not really. I kind of like it when Ruffnut's in imminent danger. One time she was on fire and I just watched for a while. Anyway, you two can beat me with your tails, barbecue me with plasma blasts, freeze me with your icy breath, or even lightly massage my shoulders and neck. You really could, I need it! But I will not shirk my responsibility to the—" In the middle of his speech, Tuffnut realized that Toothless and Snowfire had fallen asleep along with the other dragons. "Sleeping? You're all sleeping?! Ah... not a bad idea..." Tuffnut began before falling asleep shortly after, on his feet.

...

It wasn't long before Hiccup and I reached the campsite. Sure enough I could see that whoever was camping here had packed enough supplies to last for a while. Yet it was oddly empty and the flames were still roaring. But the supplies weren't the only things I'd noticed that made my face pale.

Weapons were scattered along the area, from swords to shields. Dragon killing weapons.

"Someone's been here for a while," I remarked.

A shudder ran through me when I noticed the decorated dragon skull hidden nearby, along with food that looked too fresh for my liking.

"Well, obviously it couldn't be anyone from our group," Hiccup added with a shrug. He had a good point there. Astrid might have had survival skills like these, and maybe even Snotlout. But Fishlegs and Ruffnut were supposed to be stealthy, which meant they would be more likely to follow orders. Maybe.

"Then if it's not anyone we know, who...?" My question was cut short when Hiccup was suddenly tackled to the ground. Without a second thought, I pulled out my swords and prepared to fight when I recognized who was attacking Hiccup.

"Dagur?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

Great. Because this night couldn't get anymore awkward. Of all the people I wanted to run into, Dagur was the least.

"Hiccup, old friend!" Dagur shouted as he picked up Hiccup in a bear hug. "You're alive." Then he noticed me. "And I see you're girlfriend is, too."

Both Hiccup and I coughed uncomfortably at that last statement. Luckily Dagur didn't seem to notice though.

"Uh, last time I checked," Hiccup replied nervously. I quickly lowered my swords. Dagur didn't see us as a threat, and if he saw my swords, he could easily change his mind. "So, uh... I haven't seen you since—"

"Since you saved me from that dragon attack on Berk?" asked Dagur while swinging a sword around. "And then you were all, 'Dagur, save yourself!' And I was like, 'what? Okay, I'm out of here.' But you stayed and then you must've—" He stopped after realizing he didn't know why we were here. I narrowed my eyes when Dagur continued watching Hiccup curiously. "So... what are you two doing here?" he asked nonchalantly.

"What-What are we doing here?" Hiccup asked, glancing at me.

"Don't answer that," Dagur quickly intervened. "I know exactly what you two are doing here." Hiccup and I exchanged nervous looks. My hands gripped my swords tighter, and I was ready for whatever this crazy lunatic would throw at us. "You two are here for the same reason I am, Hiccup. You're here to hunt dragons."

The grip on my swords loosened a little, but the tension didn't. Something in the back of my mind told me that I wanted to tell Dagur why we were here. Yet I knew where that would lead. We'd both be screwed if Dagur found out the truth.

"Okay, you got us. That's what we're here for," Hiccup said after chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, just the two of us," I added.

"So, whatever happened to the Night Fury, and the White Terror, Hiccup?" Dagur asked.

"Oh, well... bad news, it uh, got away," Hiccup replied calmly.

"That's great news!" Dagur exclaimed, grabbing Hiccup's shoulder.

"It-It is?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Yes. New plan. The three of us are going to hunt the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. And that White Terror, and we're going to take them down, once and for all."

Dagur's explanation sent shivers of rage through me. The very thought of hunting down Snowfire like she was some wild animal made me uncomfortable. Dragons were creatures that deserved respect, and peace.

"Uh, okay," Hiccup replied awkwardly.

Dagur than pulled Hiccup aside and dragged him towards the campfire, ignoring me completely. I just rolled my eyes at that. By now I've gotten used to the gesture, especially when I was back in our world. What Dagur did next only made me want to slap him across the face. He started howling like a wolf.

"Come on. Howl with me. It feels good," Dagur said, looking at Hiccup with that deranged expression. Hiccup decided to humor him by howling along, but I refused. I wasn't stooping down to Dagur's level. All the while, Dagur was laughing. Then he went on to explain what had happened after he'd left Berk. "Hiccup, ever since I left Berk, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," Dagur explained.

Okay, way too much information. I was beginning to wonder if Dagur had forgotten I was even with them. Which could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

"Well, that's kind of strange," Hiccup said, feeling more awkward than ever. "Yet oddly flattering."

"Not you, personally," Dagur suddenly added. "You and that Night Fury. It's like you – you knew that dragon. You were inside it's head, rattling it's cage and that, my muscularly challenged friend, that's when I decided I needed to know about dragons too. So I came here and I learned about them, one by one."

"Well, that explains your... rather unusual decorations," I murmured, gesturing to the skulls that littered the campsite.

"Ah, yes... my trophies," Dagur sighed in contentment. "But I'm still missing two." He pointed to two spots on the sword, and I had to suppress a shudder. "The head of a Night Fury, and White Terror."

"Shame there's only one Night Fury," Hiccup replied with a shrug.

"And only one White Terror, who absolutely hates humans," I added under my breath.

"Yeah, well, I learned a lot about other dragons," Dagur explained while pulling out a Deadly Nadder's spike. "The Deadly Nadder. Got this in the leg. It was awesome." He then pointed at a Monstrous Nightmare skull. "The Monstrous Nightmare. Look at it. Not so monstrous now, are you?" I was ready to gag when he pulled out a piece of cooked meat and ate it. "And don't even get me started on the Gronckle."

"Uh, is that...?" Hiccup started nervously, having caught my expression.

"Nope, it's yak," Dagur replied. "Anyways, those big boys are faster than you'd think." Suddenly we all heard the roar of a dragon, and Dagur reached for a crossbow nearby.

"Whoa," Hiccup gasped in surprise at Dagur's reaction time. "Nice crossbow."

"My hunting weapon of choice," he replied with too much chagrin for my liking. Then he noticed the weapon Hiccup was carrying. "Just a shield?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just – just a shield. Just a plain, old shield," Hiccup replied warily.

"Very ornate. My sister had one just like that," Dagur said thoughtfully. "I myself never felt the need to hide in combat." Then he caught sight of my swords. "And I see you feel the same way, judging by those swords."

"I only use them in self defense," I shot back. "And when someone deserves to feel their sharp edge."

I didn't miss the look Hiccup gave me. Normally I was never very violent. But when it came to defending my friends, and the dragons, I would gladly cut someone's head off. It always depended on the situation.

"So... just how long have you been here, Dagur?" Hiccup asked, trying to change the uneasy subject.

"Couple of days. Weeks, maybe. Hard to tell," Dagur replied with a shrug. "It's all a blur when you're on the hunt. Gotta focus." He then turned and looked straight at Hiccup. "Eyes front, little man!" he suddenly shouted.

"You know, it's recommended that you get at least six hours of sleep for each day," I suggested, already having guessed that Dagur was also sleep deprived. "It'll help you stay more focused."

"Not until I take out that Night Fury, and White Terror," Dagur retorted. "I know they're on the island, Hiccup. I can feel it, right here." He placed a hand on his heart as if to prove a point. He then made things more awkward by grabbing Hiccup's hand and placing it over his own heart. "You feel it too, don't you, Hiccup?" he asked, placing both hands on Hiccup's heart.

"Uh, no... I just feel very awkward," Hiccup replied, sounding more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Yep, I'd rather cut your hand off than let you touch my heart," I added in a dangerously low voice. Dagur only smirked at my response, than started laughing.

"I like her. She's got a lot of fight in her, Hiccup," he said before pushing Hiccup to the ground. "You better watch your back, or I just might take her for myself." God, I seriously wish I could just shut the bastard up. "I'm going to grab my gear. Then we're going to get that Night Fury, and White Terror, brother."

"'Brother'?" Hiccup repeated in confusion.

"That's right, you and me," Dagur replied.

"And the awkward continues," Hiccup muttered under his breath.

My mind wandered off to what would happen if Dagur found Snowfire or the other dragons. She wouldn't hesitate to rip his throat out if he tried attacking. But part of me was secretly wishing she would. Yet another part of me knew that wasn't the answer.

"Sooner or later, he's going to find out the truth," I said under my breath.

It wasn't long before Dagur had gotten ready for the hunt to begin. We stopped though when he heard something off in the distance. My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of something heavy approaching us. Definitely too big for a Night Fury, and too confident to be Snowfire.

"Shh, that could be him," Dagur said, holding up his crossbow.

"No, that sounds too big," Hiccup told him.

"Hm... Loud, big footsteps... It's either a Gronckle, or Monstrous Nightmare," I added.

Dagur then pulled us down, much to my annoyance, and looked up to see a Monstrous Nightmare flying around and firing a fire blast.

"You're right," Dagur said before holding up his crossbow and taking aim. "I'm taking it down, anyways. Just for fun." Once again I felt sick at the thought of taking down an innocent dragon. Luckily, Hiccup intervened and pushed the crossbow away. Dagur then turned and glared at him. "How dare you?" he demanded.

"I – I had to," Hiccup stammered, trying to look for a suitable explanation. "The Night Fury would have smelled it."

"And the White Terror wouldn't go anywhere near a dragon killing," I put in.

"They can do that?" Dagur asked in surprise.

"Oh, yes. Oh, excellent sense of smell. They would have sensed the danger and fled," Hiccup replied.

"White Terrors are notorious for fleeing from humans, especially when they're involved in dragon killings," I added as a precaution.

"Look at us," Dagur said, looking at the both of us. "You, this little runt of a – well, you know what you are. And you, a beautiful dragon maiden. And me, Dagur the Deranged. Who would've thought we'd make such a formidable team."

By now I was struggling not to gag as Hiccup narrowed his eyes at Dagur's reference to me. Something told me this would not end well for the both of us.

"Not me, that's for sure," Hiccup muttered crossly.

"Let's move out," Dagur said after dragging us both along the hunt.

...

Tuffnut, meanwhile, was still fast asleep in the cave. What had woken him up was a rock falling off the roof, effectively hitting him on the head.

"Huh, what a great dream – what?" Tuffnut asked the moment he realized the dragons were gone. "Oh, really? That's how you're going to do me? I don't think so." He ran out of the cave to start looking for the dragons. "Oh, it's on dragons. It is so on."

...

Hiccup and I were still hunting dragons with Dagur the Deranged. Dagur had suddenly stopped and pulled us behind a rock. I was getting tired of being pushed around, especially by some guy who seriously had it out for me.

"Listen," he scolded after shushing us for the umpteenth time. My eyes narrowed at the sound of footsteps approaching us. "Smaller this time. Could be a Night Fury."

"That actually sounds more like a wild yak to me," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes. Dagur didn't care. He aimed his crossbow at the bushes where the noises were coming from. Hiccup was ready to push the crossbow away again, but stopped when Snotlout emerged from the bushes. "Ah, close enough." We moved from our hiding places while Dagur remained behind.

"Hiccup, Alex!" he exclaimed, sighing in relief as he approached us. "Whoa, am I glad to see you. You would not believe what I've been through. This place is crawling with wild dragons."

"You know, there is a reason it's called Dragon Island," I coughed lightly, earning looks from both Hiccup and Snotlout. Then Snotlout noticed that Dagur was standing beside us.

"Dagur! What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Snot-hat, is it?" Dagur asked, not sounding all too interested.

"Uh, Snotlout," he corrected, sounding a bit disappointed by Dagur's lack of interest.

"Whatever," Dagur muttered, then turned to Hiccup and I. "I thought you two said you were alone."

"We, we thought we were!" Hiccup exclaimed, then turned to Snotlout with an accusing look. "Snotlout! You were supposed to stay at base camp."

"Huh?" Snotlout asked in confusion.

"While Alex and I are hunting dragons here in the forest," Hiccup explained.

"You and Alex are doing what in where?" Snotlout asked.

"Not the sharpest arrow in the quiver, is he?" Dagur asked in amusement.

"No kidding," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Play along," Hiccup said to Snotlout once Dagur was out of ear-shot. "We cannot let Dagur know about our dragons."

"Or he might try to take them home as his 'trophies'," I added, my eyes narrowing in disgust at the thought.

"Wait, you mean—" Snotlout's eyes widened in alarm when he finally understood what we were trying to tell him.

...

Tuffnut was still looking for the dragons. He didn't want to be seen as the one who disobeyed orders. Especially since this was all the dragons' fault anyways. Why couldn't they just be good reptiles and stay where they were? He then stopped at the sight of Zippleback tracks in the ground.

"Hm... Zippleback tracks..." He looked at the tracks thoughtfully before seeing the dragon the prints belonged to. He walked up to the Zippleback, thinking it was Barf and Belch, and kicked it on the tail. "Gotcha! Now back to the cave – what?" It took him a few seconds to realize that the Zippleback wasn't Barf and Belch, but in fact, a wild dragon. "I thought uh... I thought you were someone else," he tried explaining, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

He then started to run away as the Hideous Zippleback gave chase, letting loose gas and sparking it along the way. Luckily Tuffnut was able to do a somersault to get away.

"Look, it was just a simple misunderstanding!" he tried getting it off his hair. Just then an explosion sounded behind him. He saw a tree ahead of him and timed it right so that the Hideous Zippleback would slam in between it with it's necks. He laughed and turned to face it. "Hah, dragon trainer one. Wild Zippleback, zero."

The Zippleback chose that moment to let loose some gas from one head. Tuffnut ran away before the other head could ignite it with a spark.

...

The four of us had continued searching for Toothless and Snowfire. Dagur was unaware that we were leading him down the wrong path, or at least trying to. But the moment Snotlout bumped into someone was when we heard a familiar scream, or two familiar screams.

"Okay, you two can calm down now," I muttered after covering my ears as Hiccup and Dagur caught up with us.

"Fishlegs, would you look? It's Dagur, who is also out hunting dragons, just like us," Hiccup explained.

"Yes. We are dragon hunters, out hunting," Snotlout chimed in.

"Hiccup, you and Alex's definition of 'alone', and mine, are very different," Dagur said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Yeah, everyone else wanted to tag along just in case," I explained warily. "Something about wanting the glory for themselves."

"Well, that explains why we keep running into your friends," Dagur muttered, looking at Fishlegs and Snotlout. "But perhaps this one can help us—"

"Hunt dragons!" Snotlout cut in. "Cause that's what we're doing. Hunting."

"Dragons!" Hiccup added helpfully.

"Okay..." Fishlegs said, finally catching on what we were trying to tell him.

Slowly we made our way through a densely wooded part of the forest. Hiccup and Dagur were walking side-by-side, and I couldn't help but glare at Dagur's head. He really was insane, and couldn't be trusted. I wouldn't take my eyes off him one minute. If he hurt anyone because I was careless, I would never forgive myself.

"You know, we're a lot alike," Dagur said, wrapping his arm around Hiccup.

"Really? H-How is that so?" Hiccup asked uneasily.

"Well, we're both born leaders," Dagur explained.

"Oh, yeah. He's right about that," Fishlegs nodded in agreement.

"Sons of Chiefs," Dagur added.

"Yeah, that's true." At this point Hiccup sounded bored, and I had to roll my eyes.

"Who had to be eliminated so that we could gain control," Dagur suddenly finished.

"Yes – wait, what?" Hiccup asked in shock. "No, no. My dad hasn't been eliminated from anything."

"But he could, easily. Just say the word," Dagur said, firing an arrow at Fishlegs' lantern, impaling it on a tree by it's holder.

Both Fishlegs and Snotlout looked uneasy at the thought of taking down Stoick. Even I was getting annoyed with Dagur. But Hiccup was able to keep on a neutral face throughout the situation against Dagur's death-threat to his father.

"Yeah... that's something to think about," he said, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

A rustling sound came from the nearby bushes, and Dagur loaded another arrow onto his crossbow before taking aim. Once again I rolled my eyes, wondering just how long we would have to put up with this idiot. Though silently I was praying that it was a wild coming and not ours.

That was when I noticed Astrid suddenly punching Snotlout in the face, followed by a somersault into one of the nearby bushes. Leave it to Astrid to make things a little easier. I'd have to thank her again later. Unfortunately the loud rustling had caught Dagur's attention, and he was approaching the bush warily with his crossbow in hand.

"Which one of your friends is it going to be this time?" he asked.

"It's hard to say," Hiccup replied with a shrug.

Suddenly a plasma blast came rushing past, narrowly missing Dagur in the process. My heart nearly skipped a beat when I saw Toothless and Snowfire peering down at us. Dagur's eyes widened in excitement at the sight, all the more reason for me to wish I'd punched him sooner.

"The Night Fury, and White Terror!" he gasped. "Hiccup, my brother, you've done it! You've led me right to it!" He then aimed his arrow at Toothless, who was in the direct line of fire. Snowfire was smart enough to know when to retreat. "Arrow, meet dragon. Dragon, meet—"

"No, no, Dagur, wait!" Hiccup suddenly interrupted. "I would like to do it."

"I saw it first," Dagur argued.

"Yes, but I led you to him – I mean, it," Hiccup retorted, correcting himself just in the nick of time.

"But I brought the crossbow," Dagur snapped, grabbing the crossbow once again. "All you brought is some ornate shield, and to use Alex's swords, you'd have to get close enough for an attack. Now stand aside."

Well, you can't argue with crazy.

Dagur started approaching Toothless, taking aim with his crossbow. Just as he did though, a pair of Terrible Terrors suddenly erupted out of nowhere, attacking Dagur in the process. Their surrounding had caused Dagur to miss his aim, and I looked towards the bushes in time to see Jacob and Astrid.

In the chaos, Hiccup managed to gesture for Toothless to run away, which he luckily did. Snowfire, on the other hand, was more difficult to convince. Eventually Jacob had to reach her and pry her away, though it could have taken two Vikings to get her to move.

"What's wrong with you?" Astrid demanded once they were all gone. "I almost had those Terrible Terrors. They were right in my hands."

"Terrors shmerrors. We're hunting Night Furies here, and White Terrors," Dagur retorted. His annoyance at missing Toothless was obvious. He then turned to look at Hiccup accusingly. "Did you leave everyone behind on Berk?" Hiccup only laughed nervously as Dagur walked away.

"Very funny, Dagur," he replied and joined Astrid.

"Did he say, 'hunting a Night Fury?'" Astrid asked in confusion, glaring at Dagur as he pulled an arrow from the tree.

"Yep, that's exactly what he said," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"But Toothless is—" Astrid began, but Hiccup stopped her.

"I know," he muttered. "And if he is loose, then so are the other dragons. You guys need to go find Ruff and Tuff, grab your dragons and get out of here." I crossed my arms when he caught the look on Fishlegs' and Snotlout's faces. "Don't worry. Dagur won't hurt me. I'm his 'brother'."

"Until he finds out about Toothless and Snowfire," I put in, earning looks of surprise from everyone. "I'm just saying, Dagur isn't going to be so friendly if he finds out about them, and the other dragons on Berk."

"Or your abilities, for that matter," Astrid added. Dagur than chose that moment to appear out of nowhere, and wrapped an arm playfully around his neck.

"Come, Hiccup, while the trail is still fresh," he said.

"I-I can't hunt with an entourage," Hiccup started as Dagur began dragging him away. "Go back to Berk, leave us to our business."

Toothless was still running away while I caught up with Jacob and Snowfire. Sniper was close behind Jacob, growling in confusion when he saw Dagur running after Toothless.

' _Did he try hurting you_?' Snowfire asked as she nudged me.

"No, I'm okay," I reassured her. "Thanks for getting her away," I added to Jacob.

"Well, when you're dealing with a crazy lunatic, what are friends for?" he asked with an amused shrug. "So, what exactly is his plan, if he has any?"

"My guess is, he'll have to leave fighting Dagur," I muttered crossly. "Unless he's able to get Toothless away before Dagur realizes the truth, than we're all screwed."

' _Then perhaps it's time we showed this 'Dagur' what a White Terror is capable of_ ,' Snowfire suggested, her chest puffing out with pride. I only smirked at her in amusement before realizing that she did have a good point. Dagur was in for a nasty shock.

...

Dagur had continued firing arrows after Toothless as he made a beeline for the beach. The other dragon riders had fled to go look for their dragons. Hiccup had caught sight of Alex standing with Jacob and their dragons, and prayed to the Gods they wouldn't intervene unless necessary.

"You're not going to hit anything like that," Hiccup said after noticing what Dagur was doing.

"I know that," Dagur replied while firing another arrow in Toothless' direction. "I'm just trying to keep him running in that direction." He then lit another arrow on fire and aimed it into the sky.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"To be honest, Hiccup, I didn't come here alone either," Dagur replied. Then several flaming arrows fired overhead.

"Dagur, Night Furies are very lethal. A few more men won't make a difference," Hiccup retorted.

"I agree. Lucky for us, I brought the entire armada along, and like, a bazillion armed Berserkers," Dagur told him.

Just as he said that, a hundred flaming arrows flew towards them. Hiccup had to raise his shield to keep them from puncturing his tunic. Dagur just laughed as though nothing was happening.

"Yeah, that might actually make a difference," Hiccup murmured, now sounding worried. He suddenly wished the others had stayed to help.

"Oh, yeah. We're going to drive that beast right to them. And they can finish it off," Dagur explained his plan.

"Not exactly sporting," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't care about sporting. I care about killing that Night Fury and wearing it's skull as a helmet," Dagur snapped.

He then ran off after the Night Fury. Hiccup sighed in frustration as Dagur reloaded his crossbow and aimed at Toothless, who was now at the edge of a cliff and trapped. Hiccup watched the scene unfold before him, imagining the worst possible outcome. He knew that no matter what, there was no way to avoid a fight.

"Okay, that's it. I am not letting you kill that dragon," he intervened in a firm tone.

"This again?" Dagur sighed in annoyance. "Fine, you saw it first. You take home a wing or something."

"No, I'm pretty much taking home the whole thing," Hiccup retorted, then went on to make a dragon's call.

Dagur's eyes widened in surprise when he turned around to face Hiccup. He then heard Toothless' roar and looked up and saw him jumping above. Dagur's eyes narrowed when he noticed the saddle on his back.

"Is that...?" Dagur asked in disbelief.

"A saddle?" Hiccup finished. "Yes, Dagur. That's exactly what it is."

"So I was..." Dagur began, and Hiccup shook his head in frustration.

"Right all along," he replied after getting on Toothless' back. "We do not hunt dragons on Berk." He then pressed down on the stirrup and Toothless spread his wings. "We ride them."

"Your father lied to..." Dagur's eyes widened in shock as he realized what had happened. "You lied to me!"

"He was trying to keep the peace between our tribes," Hiccup tried reasoning with him. "So was I."

"By making a fool out of me?" Dagur demanded.

"You don't really need a lot of help with that, Dagur," Hiccup retorted. Dagur was about to pull out his sword when Toothless roared at him. He then looked defiantly at Hiccup. "Your move."

"You could have been my brother, Hiccup," Dagur said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, you're my enemy."

"Have it your way," Hiccup snapped. "But remember, we have the dragons, and we're not afraid to use them." He then looked down at Toothless. "Let's get out of here, bud."

They started flying off, but Dagur wasn't about to give up his prize so easily. He pulled out a bola and threw it at them. The bola wrapped around Toothless' tail, and he threw a second one that wrapped around his wings.

Toothless flew back to the ground, hard, throwing Hiccup off in the process. Dagur than threw a third bola that wrapped around Toothless' muzzle. He charged after Toothless with his sword held high, ready to deliver a killing blow, but Hiccup blocked it with his shield.

Both of them held their ground, not giving an inch. Annoyed, Dagur kicked Hiccup, sending him flying. Then he went on with his dream of killing Toothless, sword ready, when Hiccup's shield suddenly flew right towards him out of nowhere, and flew back to Hiccup's waiting arm.

Dagur rolled his eyes and started throwing daggers at Hiccup, who blocked them with his shield. That didn't stop Dagur from throwing more. The only thing that had stopped him was Toothless, whipping him across the face with his tail. Dagur was sent flying from the impact, but he landed right next to his crossbow and loaded an arrow.

"Your move, Hiccup," he sneered, aiming his crossbow at Hiccup.

He fired the arrow, and Hiccup moved behind a tree just as the arrow pierced the trunk. He saw Toothless trying to free himself and went to help, only to be nearly hit by several arrows. Dagur suddenly turned his attention on Toothless and started firing arrows at the Night Fury. Toothless was able to roll out of the way just in time.

"You can't hide forever!" Dagur shouted, aiming his crossbow at Hiccup again. Hiccup then emerged from his hiding place.

"I don't plan to," he replied.

His shield began to change into a different mode. The center hub swung out and the sides split apart, changing it into a crossbow. He then loaded one of the arrows and aimed it at Dagur before firing. But Dagur suddenly rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding it.

"Nice try, brother," Dagur sneered.

Hiccup felt a shudder run through him at the thought of Dagur being his brother. There was no way he would ever consider Dagur as his brother. He fired another arrow at Dagur, only this one was a grappling line that hit a nearby tree.

"You missed!" Dagur told him.

"Did I?" Hiccup asked, giving the shield a big tug. Dagur looked up in time to see a large branch land on him.

"I have got to get me one of those ornate shields," he groaned.

Hiccup rushed over to Toothless and pulled out his dagger to cut off the ropes. Dagur pushed off the branch just in time to see Hiccup cutting the ropes free. Toothless let out a warning growl as Dagur started charging after them. That was when they both noticed the temperature was getting colder than usual.

Dagur stopped in his tracks at the sound of an eerie screech that seemed to echo off the island. His eyes narrowed with hate as he suddenly charged after Hiccup, who had his shield ready. The insane Beserker started pounding his fists on Hiccup's shield, desperate to gain the upper hand.

Toothless suddenly pulled himself free of the ropes when an icy blast was sent in Dagur's direction. The impact sent him flying, and Hiccup used the distraction to cut the rest of the ropes free. Dagur finally got back to his feet and was ready to attack again when he spotted the White Terror hovering above Toothless and Hiccup. Toothless fired a plasma blast at Dagur's sword, disarming him in a split second.

Dagur turned tail and ran the minute he realized he was outnumbered and out-powered, yelling, 'dragon attack!' along the way. Hiccup looked around to see that the other Dragon Riders had joined them.

"We better go, now. His men are on their way," he ordered.

"Come on, we can take him," Snotlout groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Not today," Hiccup replied. "Dagur will be back, and next time, we'll be ready."

...

We flew off after that, relief washing over my shoulders. Putting up with Dagur had been more of a challenge than I was expecting.

"I'm not afraid to admit that Dagur scares me," I murmured thoughtfully.

"Well, it's good to know that we were able to scare him off," Jacob put in, smirking at the memory of Dagur running away.

' _Dagur will be back_ ,' Snowfire warned us. ' _And when he returns, I will rip his throat out_.'

I couldn't help but feel as if Dagur really would return. And if he did, something told me that it would only end in disaster. Hopefully, we would be ready like Hiccup had promised.

* * *

 **AN: Well, there's the next chapter. Next update probably won't be anytime soon, just a heads up.**

 **KupcakeKrazed101 - Yep, it should be interesting to read about his reaction.**

 **Wild Cat 214 - Indeed it does ;)**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Well, he certainly deserves those bout of curses. And believe me, you aren't the only one who thinks that :P**


	36. Tunnel Vision

**Chapter Thirty Six**

It was another peaceful day on Berk. The sheep were bleating to one another yaks mooing, dragons flying freely. Life couldn't be more peaceful. That was until Stoick's booming voice suddenly shook the entire village, jostling the sheep and the yaks in the process.

"Cut him off! Make sure he doesn't escape!" Stoick yelled as a mysterious individual ran past Jacob and Snotlout. Snowfire and Toothless flew side-by-side, like always. Only this time Hiccup and I weren't speaking to each other. Instead, we were sitting there in awkward silence.

"I didn't think he could run this fast," Hiccup admitted after the individual managed to get past Jacob and Snotlout.

' _He is a human on a mission_ ,' Snowfire huffed as Toothless cut off the individual in question, her close behind him. The man in question ran through a side street, rushing past some barrels and scaring a chicken along the way. Snowfire and Toothless weren't able to get through the narrow side street, so I did the only thing that came to mind.

"Astrid, he's headed your way!" I called. Up in the sky, Astrid nodded and gestured to Stormfly.

"On it!" she called back and locked onto the runaway's position. "Stormfly! Spine shot!" she commanded. Quickly, Stormfly shot her spines out of her tail, and they effectively hit the path of their intended target. I smirked at the sight of Gobber, Berk's resident blacksmith and Dragon Dentist.

"I won't do it, Stoick, and you can't make me! None of you can make me!" Gobber shouted defiantly as the six of us began surrounding him. Jacob and Snotlout were soon approaching him as well, both looking none too happy with the situation.

"Keep him surrounded," Stoick ordered.

It was time for Gobber to take a bath. My nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of just how long it had been since his last one. I don't know why men had such a horrible time with bathing themselves. But his stench was starting to rile up even the dragons, and that was saying something.

"A Viking is supposed to smell this way! It's a badge of honor!" he exclaimed. I watched on in amusement as a purple Terrible Terror crawled onto Gobber's shoulder and chattered happily before taking a whiff of the stench rolling off him in waves. Once it caught that scent, the Terror gagged and flew off crookedly a few seconds before bumping into a pole.

' _I could always freeze him and than melt him_ ,' Snowfire suggested, looking at us in amusement while Gobber just glared.

"We want him washed, not killed," I reminded her. Fishlegs and Meatlug were on their way after grabbing a bucket of water from the village well. Gobber was still struggling to break free when the pair reached us.

"Hurry, we've gotta get that tub filled so we could give Gobber his bath," Fishlegs said as the group completely surrounded Gobber.

"Oh, come on, since when was it a crime to take a bath?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes.

"It's for your own good, Gobber," Stoick added in a firm tone.

"Actually, it's for the good of the town," Hiccup corrected his father as I tried to block out Gobber's stench. Toothless and Snowfire growled in disgust, their noses more sensitive to scent than humans.

"Get in the tub!" Stoick ordered while Snotlout and Hookfang came up from behind. I hadn't even noticed the pair leaving until now.

"Hookfang, toss him into the tub," Snotlout commanded. And of course, as usual, the Monstrous Nightmare just shook his head and suddenly threw Snotlout off into the wooden tub. "Every. Single. Time! Doesn't this get old for you?" Snotlout grumbled. Hookfang merely shifted his eyes from left to right.

With Gobber distracted for the moment, Hiccup and I signaled for Snowfire and Toothless to sneak up on Gobber while Hiccup nodded to Astrid to get in on the plan. The Hofferson girl nodded in agreement and hopped onto Stormfly, waiting eagerly for the plan to unfold.

"I won't do it, Stoick!" Gobber shouted, refusing to bathe again. Sometimes I wondered if men just loved to live up to their typical stereotypes. Luckily he hadn't noticed Toothless or Snowfire approaching him from behind.

"Now, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted to Astrid, who flew up on Stormfly. Gobber looked up in surprise, but was taken completely off guard when Snowfire suddenly knocked him into the tub, and Toothless held him down.

"Bath time, Gobber," I announced as Fishlegs had Meatlug fly towards us. Gobber flinched when Meatlug reached the tub, dropping what should have been a bucket full of water. But instead, we were all stunned to see only a little water thrown on him. Gobber was ecstatic with not having his much needed bath, but Stoick's expression told us this should not be happening in the first place.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, son," Stoick said to Fishlegs.

"I can't, sir! The well's dry!" Fishlegs exclaimed, looking pointedly at the empty bucket.

Snowfire and I exchanged anxious looks as Stoick and Hiccup went over to inspect the well in question. Knowing that something was wrong with their only source of freshwater could mean trouble. But it also meant something else was wrong. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something worse was happening underground, where the water came from.

"We just dug up that well two summers ago," Stoick explained as they lowered a bucket into the well to test Fishlegs' accusation. Sure enough it was bone dry.

"Water doesn't just disappear," Hiccup tried coming up with an explanation. "There has to be a reason."

"My guess is, the flow of water was somehow disrupted," Jacob inquired before shrugging it off. I had to second that suggestion. If something was tunneling under the island, that something might be responsible for this.

"I think the real question is, how are we supposed to start the flow of water again?" I asked curiously.

"We're going to have to dig a new one," Stoick said. "And until it's done, we'll have to ration water... which means..." Stoick paused and looked at Gobber in frustration.

"No more baths," he said cheerfully, putting both arms around Hiccup and I, then added, "Always a silver lining!" All the while we were both trying not to gag in disgust. This was worse than that time mom forgot to take the trash out.

"Ugh, it's gonna take weeks to wash this out," I muttered while Hiccup looked like he was about to be sick.

...

All of us were gathered in the arena after discussing how to solve the issue of the water shortage. We'd gathered around with Astrid and Jacob to try and come up with a plan. Meanwhile, we were forced to ration our water source.

"Okay, we need to figure out a way to keep Berk supplied with water until we can dig out a new well," Hiccup started before turning to the twins. "Ruff, Tuff, strap on the trough and head over to Lars Lake to fill it."

"Why not have Snowfire breathe ice and than melt it?" Snotlout suggested in a smug tone.

' _Why don't I just freeze you, and see what happens_?' Snowfire retorted before slapping her tail across his face. I tried not to laugh at his reaction, all the while Ruffnut and Tuffnut were trying to figure out how to 'carry' the water trough to Lars Lake.

"Okay, but that thing's pretty big," Tuffnut said. "I mean, that's bigger than Ruffnut's butt. It could take a while... a week or two, maybe" Ruffnut than punched him in the arm after the insult that he'd mentioned.

"Isn't that what Barf and Belch are for?" I asked, gesturing to the Zippleback in question.

"Why would you think that?" asked Tuffnut after getting up.

"Because—" Hiccup stopped himself after realizing he was wasting his time. "Okay... moving on." He then turned to Astrid and Snotlout. "Astrid, Snotlout, head to the mountain streams and and fill up as many canteens as you can."

"Mountain streams," Snotlout began while gingerly running a hand through Astrid's hair. "Romantic—" He never finished when Astrid suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted before promptly kicking him to the ground.

"Alex, you, Fishlegs and Jacob are with me, we can figure out what happened inside that well," Hiccup added.

...

Astrid and Snotlout had reached the cove after scouring the mountain streams for any water they might find. This was the easiest place to find water, and they had already filled several canteens when Snotlout started talking again.

"You know, Astrid, I've been thinking," Snotlout began.

"We've talked about your thinking," Astrid muttered crossly. She wasn't sure if this was Hiccup's idea of a cruel prank, but he wasn't going to enjoy his evening after this little escapade. "It's not good for anyone."

"Who says we have to give the water away?" Snotlout asked after filling another vase in a basket.

"What are you talking about?" Astrid demanded, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"It's simple supply and demand. Follow me," replied Snotlout. He grabbed a vase from the basket and looked at Astrid triumphantly. "The people of Berk are parched, desperate for water. And who's got all their water, Astrid? Snotlout, that's who! Haha! I'm gonna make a fortune!"

"You're going to charge people for water?" Astrid asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Snotlout was this arrogant. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Is it? Do whatever you want, Astrid. Just don't ask me to cut you in later."

Snotlout chose that moment to leave, and Astrid just stared after them in amazement. Somehow she wasn't surprised that the obnoxious Jorgenson boy would try to profit off of this. This wasn't going to end well for him.

...

Back in the village, Jacob, Hiccup and I were being lowered into the well by Fishlegs and Meatlug. This felt like the start of a scary movie, like the ones you see where people get trapped underground. That left nothing but bad memories when mom would drag me to some of her favorite horror movies.

"That's it, girl," Fishlegs told Meatlug as she lowered the rope. "Just keep it steady."

"Lower," Hiccup ordered as we continued getting deeper into the well.

"Keep going," I added, noticing that we weren't anywhere close to where the water had dropped.

"Just a little more... Okay, hold it right there," Hiccup said. My eyes widened when I realized just how low the water really was.

"The water level was way up here," Jacob mused after inspecting the damp walls. "And it's still wet."

"Nobody could have drunk the water that fast," I added cautiously.

"What do you think?" Hiccup asked, and it only just dawned on me that he was probably hoping we'd have answers from our world. Jacob shook his head and looked at me hopefully. Good thing one of us stayed away during Geology class.

"It's most likely due to ground movement," I explained. "But if that were the case, we would have likely felt it."

Hiccup grabbed a loose rock and threw it down. We didn't hear a splash that should have followed, meaning the water level had dropped all the way down.

"Fishlegs, get us all the way down," Hiccup ordered.

"Are you sure?" asked Fishlegs in a nervous tone. "It looks awfully dark and scary down there." I only rolled my eyes at that question.

"Fishlegs, we're the ones down here in the dark, not you," I reminded him.

"Okay!" Fishlegs shouted back. "Take 'em down, girl."

Meatlug started lowering us further down again. In a few seconds, the rope had begun to rock a little, jostling all three of us from our thoughts.

"Uh, what's going on up there?" Jacob asked uneasily.

"Okay, uh... Steady, Meatlug," Fishlegs tried soothing Meatlug.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when the rope suddenly cut on a sharp piece of rock. Toothless and Snowfire flew down into the well, despite Snowfire being twice Toothless' size. Panic washed over me when I realized we were falling. And before I knew what was happening, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me in a protective hold. It took a few seconds for me to realize Hiccup had grabbed me, and rolled over so that he would take the worst of our fall.

Jacob clung onto Toothless for dear life as the Night Fury charged after us, Snowfire close behind them. The minute we landed was when Hiccup's teeth ground together in pain. My heart was still pounding when I noticed Snowfire bounding over us with one leap.

' _Little one_!' I looked at her in relief until hearing a groan from underneath me. For second I thought it might be Jacob until I looked down at Hiccup's pale face.

"Hiccup!" I gasped in surprise after realizing that he'd taken the full hit that was meant for me. He took a few deep breaths before exhaling until his face returned to it's normal color. "Hiccup, what were you thinking? You shouldn't have taken the full impact of that fall." Yet I knew that I would have done the same. My mind was still whirling with the realization that we could have been killed from that impact.

"I... I couldn't let you get hurt," he managed to wheeze out, still shaken from the fall. It looked like he wanted to say something else, when a cough from nearby reminded me that we weren't alone.

"Well, this is awkward," Jacob muttered as I helped Hiccup back to his feet. I threw him an apologetic look, realizing just how awkward situations like these must be for him.

"Toothless, you okay?" Hiccup asked once he'd recovered from the impact. The Night Fury only warbled in response, gesturing to the fact that he'd caught Jacob before he could meet the same fate as us.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Stoick's yell reached us.

"W-We're okay, dad!" Hiccup shouted back. I didn't miss the fact that Hiccup was trying to hide the pain he was in from the fall. Honestly, Hiccup had to be the worst liar. Luckily though, Stoick seemed to buy it.

"Can you fly back up?" asked Stoick.

"No, it's too narrow," I replied. Not to mention Snowfire had barely managed to fit through the well. I was amazed she got through at all.

"Someone grab me a rope," Stoick ordered from above. "I'm coming down after you, son."

"Dad, don't!"

"Sir, we'll be fine," Jacob reassured him. "The water had to go somewhere."

"Besides, we've got Toothless and Snowfire with us," I added, trying to sound cheerful. "We'll find another way."

"They make excellent points, sir," Fishlegs said to Stoick. "Alex and Jacob have knowledge about this kind of stuff from their world, and Hiccup has Toothless, who can navigate his way through the darkness... and this is clearly none of my business."

My eyes narrowed as I saw what looked like a winding tunnel ahead of us. This tunnel didn't look like it was naturally formed. Something had carved it's way through, something big. Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks before he told Stoick what we were doing.

"Wait, I-I think we've found something," Hiccup called to his father.

"You know, it kind of sucks not having parents who worry about us," Jacob muttered under his breath once he'd caught up with us. Snowfire huffed and let out a cloud of mist across his face.

' _Are we not enough_?' she asked. Oh, I could imagine the answers he would have for her at that moment. Jacob was smart enough though not to say anything. I hadn't missed the fact that Hiccup winced in pain, arching his back while trying to make it look as though it was nothing.

"You okay?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, it just hurts a little," he replied sheepishly, than grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder.

I held back a sigh, feeling sorely responsible for what had happened. The one thing I'd learned about Hiccup over the months, was that he was stubborn. More stubborn than his father, if that was possible. He was adamant on walking, despite the pain he was in. I supposed if he wasn't going to rest his shoulder now, it would be wise to send him to Gothi's place when this was over.

These caves had an eerie feeling to them. I couldn't shake off the feeling that we weren't alone. Hiccup seemed to sense it as well.

"I don't know about you four, but I get the feeling that we aren't alone," he remarked.

"Yeah, definitely not the only one getting that feeling," Jacob replied.

Toothless and Snowfire looked over their shoulders suspiciously and growled before returning to our sides. ' _We are not alone_ ,' Snowfire hissed with unease. I simply nodded in agreement, that bad feeling in my stomach suddenly returning.

It didn't take us long to find more tunnels throughout this network. What bothered me more than anything was that they were winding throughout Berk. One wrong move and the entire village could collapse under these tunnels.

"Wow... these tunnels run right underneath Berk," Hiccup breathed out in amazement.

"Yeah... don't these tunnels look familiar?" I asked warily, having remembered the one event on Berk that had left Toothless on edge. "Like, _Whispering Death_ familiar?"

Hiccup threw me a worried look, remembering that Whispering Deaths were some of the few dragons I couldn't bond so easily with. We were all making our way deeper into the tunnel when something crunched under our feet. Hiccup held up his lantern, than stepped back in shock at what was under our feet.

"Dragon eggs?" he asked in disbelief. Toothless sniffed the eggs cautiously while Snowfire growled with unease. These eggs had been put here on purpose. I noticed with unease that they were everywhere, and to top things off, there were wooden crates scattered all over the place. "Look at these," Hiccup said after noticing them as well. "That's an Outcast symbol!" I felt my blood run cold at the recognition of that red marking. The moment was ruined when a shrill scream echoed throughout the cave, this one even worse than Snowfire's screech. "Toothless, light up the cave," Hiccup suddenly ordered.

Toothless fired a plasma blast through the tunnel, illuminating the walls. My eyes widened in horror when I saw hundreds upon hundreds of eggshells scattered throughout the tunnel floors. I looked on warily after noticing that these tunnels were oddly familiar to the ones dug out by Whispering Deaths.

"Something tells me these are Whispering Death tunnels," I guessed out loud. Hiccup's eyes widened with realization at that. I shuddered at the memory of what a Whispering Death could do. Images of a mouth full of razor sharp teeth came to mind. That was when I noticed something that made my heart nearly skip a beat.

"That's a big tunnel," Jacob murmured after looking around quietly for the most part.

"Yeah, I really don't wanna know what made that tunnel," Hiccup nodded in agreement.

' _I have a bad feeling about this_ ,' Snowfire growled uneasily.

I patted her on the shoulder, hoping whatever happened, we'd all make it out of this alive. We began trying to look for a way out, but every way seemed to end with it's path blocked by stone. Jacob had stayed quiet for the most part, every now and than jumping at the slightest sound. When we finally decided to turn around, a breeze blew through the tunnel and suddenly blew out the lantern Hiccup was holding.

"Oh, great," Hiccup groaned in annoyance as darkness surrounded us. "Toothless, can you give us some light?" Toothless was more than happy to oblige, and lit the lantern.

Unfortunately, the moment the lanterns were lit was when we found our backs against a Whispering Death. Toothless fired a plasma blast while Snowfire fired an icy blast to stun it. Hiccup was quick to mount Toothless while Jacob and I mounted Snowfire. I didn't miss the way Hiccup flinched when Toothless started flying. He shouldn't be flying if he was in that much pain. Unfortunately, none of us really had a choice. Then another Whispering Death suddenly flew out from another tunnel, flying straight towards Hiccup.

"Look out!" I shouted, alerting both Hiccup and Toothless in time. They avoided the Whispering Death just as it had reached where they were moments ago.

"Well, this is fun," Jacob muttered as the five of us avoided a Whispering Death in all but three seconds. Another one had suddenly exploded from the ground below us and was now hovering in front of us. "Got anything that could scare it away?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. There were three of them. Three Whispering Deaths, and I had a bad feeling they weren't alone.

' _They have vanished_ ,' Snowfire mused, looking around frantically to find out where they went to. I noticed that she was right, and looked anxiously at both Hiccup and Jacob.

"Where'd they go?" Hiccup asked. This just seemed to get worse and worse when a large rock fell from a hole up above.

"If I had to guess, I'd say up there," I replied, pointing up to where they were digging.

"There heading up – to the town! We have to warn them!" Hiccup shouted frantically as Toothless and Snowfire flew through the tunnel.

...

Snotlout had been making a large profit selling his water while the others were underground. Gustav looked down at the small portion he managed to grab, wondering whether or not Snotlout would offer him more. His mother would surely be disappointed in the lack of water he'd received. Meanwhile, Jessica was busy grabbing as much as she could without Snotlout noticing. Gustav was almost tempted to do the same when he thought better of it. Something was not quite right with that girl, no matter what people said. She was different from Alex and Jacob, which made Gustav all the more suspicious.

"Get your fresh mountain water over here!" Snotlout shouted.

Astrid was about to stop him when the ground suddenly began to tremble under her feet. She noticed Gustav staring at a certain spot and was ready to intercept when a Whispering Death suddenly erupted from the ground. The sight was enough to startle everyone from what they were doing, except for Gustav. His legs were trembling with dread as the Whispering Death got ready to lung.

"Stand back!" Gobber yelled. He jumped in front of Gustav, shield in hand as he held it up against the Whispering Death's ring of fire. Gobber slowly moved towards a wheelbarrow and hit it with his peg leg right into the Whispering Death, stopping it's attack. Just as Gobber had punched it with the wheelbarrow, the Whispering Death suddenly burrowed underground, destroying Snotlout's wheelbarrow in the process.

Stoick noticed two other Whispering Deaths and ran towards a horn, blowing into it to scare them off, and alert the Vikings to their attack. He tossed the horn to a passing Viking the moment he was finished. "Hold this!" Stoick ordered.

"What should I do with it?" the Viking asked.

"Keep blowing!" Stoick yelled over his shoulder. Obeying his Chief's orders, the Viking continued blowing into the horn, causing only a temporary distraction for the Whispering Deaths. Stoick used the chance to reach a group of Vikings, Jessica among them, and yelled, "Quickly, everyone form a defensive line in front of the village!"

Everyone grabbed a weapon after that, everyone that was, except for Jessica. Her face turned white with horror as she saw the destruction caused by the Whispering Deaths. She'd never faced the threat of battle before, and this was something that she had never prepared for.

"Where are you going?" Astrid demanded when she started running from the chaos.

"Where does it look like I'm going?" she called back over her shoulder, panic obvious in her voice. Astrid shook her head in disbelief as she watched Jessica flee behind a building. How was it that she was from the same world as Alex and Jacob? They were nothing alike.

Meanwhile, Snotlout was still being chased by a Whispering Death. "Hookfang, help! Hurry!" he shouted in panic. Luckily when he reached up, Hookfang grabbed him, but his troubles were far from over at that point. The Whispering Death suddenly emerged from the ground and began to chase both dragon and Rider. Snotlout, still dangling from Hookfang's grasp. He braced himself for what he thought would be the end.

"Stormfly, spine shot! Sniper, fire blast!" Astrid's cry rang out, and at that moment both Stormfly and Sniper fired at the Whispering Death, causing it to disappear underground again.

"Astrid!" Fishlegs yelled. She turned and saw a Whispering Death flying behind her, but before it could attack, Meatlug fired a lava blast to knock it out. "Nice shot, girl! Impeccable timing as always." Meatlug growled happily at the praise.

In the town square, Stoick had grabbed a wooden piece and was smacking it across the Whispering Death's face before swinging it at another that tried attacking from behind. Just as he'd whacked the second one, the first one he'd attacked tripped him with it's tail. The Whispering Death tried attacking after that, but Stoick managed to roll out of the way fast enough to avoid the hit. Stoick turned and noticed a shield laying beside him.

"Want something to chew, don't you? Dinner is served!" Stoick grabbed the shield and held it up just as the Whispering Death tried attacking him, only for the shield to be stuck between it's teeth. The Whispering Death snarled and lifted him up, tossing Stoick aside. The throw caused him to land on Gobber, who was busy fending off another Whispering Death. "Odin's beard!" Stoick exclaimed as he got up. He then turned to look at Gobber. "Gobber, take care of the village. I'm going to see if our new friends match up with Thornado."

Gobber noticed a Whispering Death had cornered Spitelout. He ran up to the Whispering Death and slammed his hammer on it's tail. His attempt at distracting the Whispering Death was enough time for Spitelout to escape their wrath. After receiving a good punch from Gobber, the Whispering Death burrowed into a hole where the Riders now anxiously hovered over.

"Where did these Whispering Deaths come from? And why are they so much smaller?" Astrid asked Fishlegs. Fishlegs was the only one who could possibly understand the situation they were in, as far as she was concerned.

"They must be hatchlings!" he exclaimed. Astrid's shoulders slumped with relief. She hoped that would make it easier for them to drive the Whispering Deaths away. But seeing the worried look Fishlegs had on told her this would be anything but easy.

"That's good news, right?" she asked hopefully, dreading what his answer would be.

"Actually, it's not," Fishlegs replied uneasily, looking down at the hole warily. "Newly hatched Whispering Deaths can be worse than adults. They don't have control over their jaw muscles or their spines. They're kind of like out of control soblings," he explained as two more Whispering Deaths flew about.

"Sounds about right," Astrid muttered as they tried to figure out what to do next.

...

Back underground, the five of us were still navigating our way through the tunnels. Luckily, Jacob had brought along a lantern with him and was holding it up to get a better view. All the while Toothless kept using his sonar abilities to guide our way through.

"Nothing like having a Night Fury with sonar abilities," Jacob mused, thankful we had some way of guiding our way out. I just nodded in agreement, once again wondering how we would have gotten through this mess without our dragons.

' _There are Whispering Deaths everywhere_ ,' Snowfire growled with unease. It really did feel as if the ground was alive with something moving underneath or above.

"Yeah, keep going, bud!" Hiccup praised Toothless as we moved onward through the dark. These tunnels weren't smooth like the other ones. Instead, they were winding labyrinths that never seemed to end. "Don't these guys ever make a straight tunnel?" he wondered out loud.

"Most likely not," I replied, having remembered reading in the Book of Dragons about them. "They're Whispering Deaths, remember?"

' _It's a good thing you can see in the dark_ ,' Snowfire hummed. I just rolled my eyes at the amusement in her tone. Humans had poor eyesight at best. Without Toothless, we'd be wandering blindly through the tunnels.

Finally, the four of us had seen what looked light at the edge of the tunnel. Snowfire put on an extra burst of speed, happy to be out of the confining tunnels once and for all. What we all saw next made our eyes widen in shock.

"This is not good," I muttered after noting all the chaos unfolding around us.

Villagers who weren't fighting or couldn't fight had tried running for cover. And not to my surprise, Jessica wasn't among them. I'd always known she was a coward, especially when it came to dragons. Nearby, Astrid had Stormfly fly up and fire her magnesium at one of the Whispering Deaths, making it roar in frustration before retreating back underground.

' _I could always freeze the tunnels_ ,' Snowfire suggested, gesturing to the tunnels below us. ' _Perhaps that will stop them in their tracks_.'

"Wouldn't that take a lot of energy?" Jacob asked quizzically.

"Yeah, we really need to drive them out, away from Berk," I said under my breath.

"I need something from the forge," Hiccup said after taking in all the chaos.

"We'll cover you," I reassured him as Toothless flew towards the forge. Whispering Deaths were everywhere, and Vikings were trying to help fend them off while those who were defenseless ran for cover. I spotted the twins admiring the destruction caused by them, and rolled my eyes at the sight. Only they would enjoy the fact that their home was being destroyed. "You just might wanna make it quick," I added as a Whispering Death appeared in front of us.

"You mind waiting here for a moment?" Jacob asked, earning a look of surprise from me. "I've gotta make sure Sniper isn't causing anymore trouble than we're already in."

He didn't give me a chance to argue as Snowfire landed beside Toothless, growling with unease as the Whispering Death rounded on us. ' _Go away_!' Snowfire roared back as the Whispering Death swerved left and right. Toothless roared in agreement and suddenly lunged onto the Whispering Death's head, engaging in a wrestling match while Snowfire crawled from behind.

Snowfire suddenly swatted the Whispering Death with her talons, earning a glare from the dragon in question. I held back a sigh of relief when the Whispering Death was distracted when Hiccup emerged with his shield, using the reflecting light to catch it's attention.

"Let's shine a little light on the situation," Hiccup said as he used the shield's reflection to blind the Whispering Death momentarily.

"Really? This is the worst time for a good pun," I muttered crossly. The Whispering Death tried to free itself once Snowfire got hold of it's tail.

' _This beast is stronger than it looks_!' she growled.

"Oh, you don't like that, do you?" Hiccup asked. With great effort, the Whispering Death managed to free itself, unable to handle the light any longer. "Rule number one: Never forget a dragon's weakness."

Once the Whispering Death was gone, Snowfire and Toothless took off to join Stormfly with Astrid. She looked at us anxiously, clearing looking for whatever answers we might provide for the situation.

"The Whispering Death tunnels drained the water supply," I explained warily.

"Yeah, we kind of figured that out already," Astrid replied. "We need to keep them in the sunlight."

"That is why I have this," Hiccup told her, holding up his shield.

"Keep the sunlight bouncing off of it," I said as an idea formed in the back of my mind. "If we work together, we should be able to drive them away."

Using the Iron Gronckle shield, we were able to drive one of the Whispering Deaths away. I couldn't help but grin in triumph, already feeling drained from this fight. Whispering Deaths were no jokes, especially when it came to the younger ones.

"One down. Two more to go," Astrid said once it was gone. "It's working... we're driving them away from the village." All three dragons were now on the run thanks to Hiccup's shield and some extra fireballs from the others.

"That's right! You better run!" Snotlout shouted after them as they flew from the village.

"I'm gonna miss those guys. They were, like, dangerous but cool at the same time," said Tuffnut. I just rolled my eyes at his remark, getting anxious about what might happen next.

' _This is not over_ ,' Snowfire suddenly warned us, and I knew where that anxious feeling came from. She had sensed it too, and I couldn't help but feel as if something worse would emerge from those tunnels.

"Stop being so negative," Snotlout retorted. "Enjoy the moment. Buy some water."

My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of a loud scream that reverberated through the island, startling us and the dragons. Snowfire looked around warily, her eyes narrowed to slits. Toothless jumped into a defensive position almost immediately. Meatlug let out an uneasy growl as she looked at the ground.

"W-What is it?" Fishlegs asked nervously. A few seconds later and he finally got his answer.

We all gaped in shock at the sight of a massive dragon exploding from the ground. This dragon had the appearance and shape of a Whispering Death, only it was _albino_. I never really gave it much thought as to whether dragons could be albino like all reptiles, but it suddenly made sense now.

"Uh... so that's what I was afraid of," Hiccup stammered as we all began backing away fearfully, then the dragon let out another deafening shriek. "Uh, suggestions, anyone?" he asked while we gaped at the white behemoth.

The wild dragon tried attacking both Snotlout and Fishlegs, but Meatlug and Hookfang jumped in to stop it. "What is that thing?" Snotlout nearly squeaked, terror evident in his voice.

"Snow, any suggestions?" I asked warily, having already hated the Whispering Deaths enough. This thing made them look like kittens.

' _I have never seen such a creature in my life_ ,' she replied, her eyes narrowed with hate as she looked at the large dragon.

"Fishlegs, is that in the Book of Dragons?" Hiccup asked. I didn't miss the horrified look on Fishlegs' face as he kept muttering something under his breath, fingers pressing against each other. "Fishlegs, is that thing in the Book of Dragons?" Hiccup asked once more, snapping Fishlegs out of his trance.

"Uh... definitely not," Fishlegs replied.

"Are you sure?" I rolled my eyes at the doubt in Hiccup's voice. Honestly, one would think by now he would know of Fishlegs' vast knowledge with the Book of Dragons.

"Hiccup, I am certain I would have remembered all my Boulder Class, Titan Wing Whispering Deaths with bright red eyes that bore a hole right through your very soul!" Fishlegs retorted. My eyes widened with panic as the albino dragon headed straight for Berk. Fortunately, Hiccup and Toothless were quick to spur into action.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" We all watched on as Toothless fired a plasma blast at the newborn. The wild Whispering Death suddenly whirled around and let out another ear-shattering scream. I had to cover my ears as the dragons started getting on edge, Snowfire included.

' _That noise is more obnoxious than the hatchling over there_!' Snowfire hissed, gesturing to Snotlout.

"It's affecting our dragons!" Astrid cried out in alarm as Stormfly began to writhe in agony. I looked back at them anxiously, realizing she was right.

"I know, that scream, it's disorienting them," Hiccup replied as Toothless and Snowfire tried covering their ears.

"So, now we know that the Whispering Death has a subspecies," I stated warily. "And it's far more dangerous than the Whispering Death."

The red eyes, red-tipped tail and notable size really made it stand out. Not to mention it was albino. I wondered if this species was always that color. Naming it shouldn't be too difficult. I noticed how much more destructive it was as well. Surprisingly, Tuffnut was the first to come up with a name.

"Screaming Death... I _love_ it!" he shouted after uncovering his ears before ducking as the three Whispering Death hatchlings reemerged from the ground. "Okay... maybe love is too strong of a word?" he asked, Ruffnut facepalming herself in response. It's three Whispering Death companions suddenly followed the Screaming Death as they charged for the village.

"Hiccup, Alex, what are we gonna do?" Astrid asked anxiously.

"We've gotta find a way to drive all four of them away from Berk, once and for all!" I replied, realizing that was the only way out of this mess.

"You guys focus on the Whispering Deaths. Alex and I will try to keep the Screaming Death busy," Hiccup ordered.

"Okay, you two have fun! See ya!" Snotlout said before leaving to get a head start.

"Remember your dragon flight club training!" Hiccup called after them as the others left. I gave him a look that would have said everything. Of course I hadn't really been part of the dragon flight club when it was first formed. Back than we hardly spoke to each other.

I didn't argue as we flew off to find the Screaming Death.

As we reached the village, I could see that the people of Berk were preparing for the oncoming battle. Just as they had gotten ready though, the Screaming Death erupted from the ground and glared at them. One Viking woman had tried getting away, but instead she tripped over a rock and fell forward.

"Snow, slow it down!" I ordered, realizing the woman would make an easy target. Snowfire let out an icy blast while Toothless fired a plasma blast at the same time. The Screaming Death noticed our attacks and dodged, firing a large fireball in the process. "Incoming!" I shouted as we avoided the blast.

The fire blast ended up destroying a watch tower nearby. I rolled my eyes at the thought of the twins cheering over such destruction. Heck, they would probably do the same thing. Snowfire and Toothless continued firing at the Screaming Death in an attempt to drive it away. That's when Snowfire accidentally bumped into the Screaming Death's tail. The impact sent us both tumbling down, and I clung on for dear life.

' _Hold on_!' Snowfire cried as she lost balance. I hadn't realized until looking that Hiccup had lost balance on Toothless. It was only than that I remembered the injury he'd endured during our fall into the well.

"Snow, you okay?" I asked worriedly, noticing that she was cringing in pain as well.

' _I will live_ ,' she replied, looking down at Hiccup as the Screaming Death rounded on him. Hiccup braced himself for the worse when a bellowing roar from Thornado and a fire blast from Sniper stopped it.

"Thanks dad, thanks Jacob!" Hiccup sighed in relief as the Screaming Death retreated from the threat.

"I don't even want to know what that thing is, but we need to get it away from Berk," Stoick said once we'd regrouped. The Screaming Death was headed straight for the village. Again. My shoulders sagged in frustration, and I suddenly wondered if this attack would ever end.

"Way ahead of you," I muttered as Snowfire stood back up. "We'll try and lead it away from the village." Hiccup threw me a worried look, and I rolled my eyes. "You're in no condition to take that thing on alone, even if you have Toothless," I told him in a stern voice.

' _She does have a good point_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement. Hiccup just sighed in frustration before nodding in agreement. Besides, I'd never let him live it down if this thing did get the better of him.

...

In the woods surrounding Berk, the rest of the Dragon Riders were working together to drive the three Whispering Deaths off of the island. One of them had Hookfang and Meatlug on the run.

"Let's split up. It can't follow us both," Astrid said.

"I don't get it," Snotlout replied in confusion. Then his eyes widened as he understood her meaning. "Oh... good plan!"

One of the Whispering Deaths was still chasing Astrid. "Stormfly, evasive maneuvers!" she ordered. Stormfly did just that and zigzagged through the trees as one of the Whispering Deaths uncontrollably launched it's spine.

Snotlout had Hookfang double back in Astrid's direction, and Hookfang prepared for a nasty surprise attack between the trees. Just as Astrid and Stormfly flew by, Snotlout gave Hookfang the signal for an attack.

"Now, Hookfang!" What the Whispering Death got next was a face-full of pine tree courtesy of Berk's most obnoxious residents.

"Oops, I hate it when that happens," Astrid said, relieved as the Whispering Death retreated.

Meanwhile, Fishlegs had Meatlug fly at lower speeds as another Whispering Death started gaining on them. "Slower Meatlug... wait for it... wait for it..." The chubby Ingerman boy said carefully as the Whispering Death continued gaining on them. Once the Whispering Death was within range, Meatlug let loose a stinky fart right in it's face. The Whispering Death recoiled in disgust at the stench, and that gave Fishlegs and Meatlug the perfect opportunity for an attack.

"Tail Bludgeon!" At her Rider's command, Meatlug swung her bulbous tail right at the Whispering Death's face. "Ah, there's nothing more glorious than a well-placed tail bludgeon! Right, girl?" Fishlegs pumped his fist into the air triumphantly, while Meatlug smiled a toothy smile.

...

All of us were working together to stop the Screaming Death from destroying more of the village. Surprisingly, Jacob worked alongside Stoick while Hiccup and I stuck together. Thornado had fired a sonic blast at the Screaming Death while Sniper let out a fiery blast.

The Screaming Death retaliated by firing two fireballs at them, which they both avoided. Snowfire let out an icy blast while Toothless fired a plasma blast, but it seemed like no matter what trick we tried, our attacks only just stunned it for a moment.

"Okay, let's see how it likes this," Hiccup said as an idea came to mind. He started moving his ordinate shield up and down, reflecting the sunlight off of it. Once the light hit the Screaming Death, it dove back into the ground. "Just as I thought."

Just as he said that, the Screaming Death exploded from the ground and started charging at them. I shook my head in frustration as Hiccup and Toothless moved quickly to avoid getting hit.

"Apparently, it doesn't mind the sunlight," Stoick grumbled.

"It must not have that weakness," Hiccup said in exasperation.

"That means they have better eyesight than Whispering Deaths," I muttered crossly. Which also meant, they were pretty much a more advanced subspecies of the Whispering Death. That was just plain wonderful.

"Well, we better figure out what it does have and quick," Stoick said. Just as he did that, the Screaming Death let out another ear-splitting scream that made our dragons, even Snowfire, writhe in confusion. "What is happening?"

"The screaming. It effects the dragons' flying," Hiccup explained warily.

"Hence the name Screaming Death," I put in.

Toothless then fired a plasma blast, and even though he was flying awkwardly, he still managed to land a hit on the Screaming Death, stopping it's screaming for just a moment. It chose that moment to fly down and chase both Toothless and Snowfire towards the sea. Stoick and Jacob tried going after us, but a Whispering Death blocked their path.

Dodging spines left and right on Toothless and Snowfire, we lured the Screaming Death as far from Berk as possible with whatever shiny object we could find. I used my double swords and reflected the sunlight off of them, while Hiccup used his shield. To our surprise, the Screaming Death was actually _chasing_ the light.

"Like a moth to the flame," I said in amazement.

"It's actually attracted to the light... I guess that could be used as a weakness," Hiccup mused after noting it's craving. Hiccup and I exchanged knowing looks. "Toothless, to the sea stacks!" he ordered, and Snowfire flew in close behind.

Using his shield, and my double swords, we were able to lure the Screaming Death in a chase around the surrounding sea stacks. On one of them, Astrid had Stormfly land until she spotted us down below. "They're down there!" she announced after noticing the Screaming Death that was closing in on them. Stormfly flew down and fell in beside Toothless. "Need a little help?" Astrid asked.

' _More than a little_ ,' Snowfire replied with a roll of her eyes. That was saying something. I don't think I've ever heard Snowfire ask for help.

"That thing doesn't have the Whispering Death's weaknesses," Hiccup explained. "It goes _after_ the sunlight." Astrid looked a little surprised with that bit of news.

"So... how do we beat it?" she asked anxiously. Hiccup was silent for a few moments as he formulated a plan.

"We give it what it wants," he replied. "Alex and I'll keep it following us. You guys get behind it and hit it with everything you've got!" Astrid didn't look pleased with the plan, but at least it was a plan. She nodded in agreement.

"Got it," she told him.

"Let's get this done and over with," I said, determination making me wish this whole ordeal was over.

Toothless and Snowfire flew gracefully this way and that between the sea stacks, the Screaming Death following them. Suddenly it opened it's mouth and fired a huge fireball at them, fire also shooting from it's frills.

' _I have never seen a dragon with this much ferocity_ ,' Snowfire hissed as she dodged the attack. I turned and looked over my shoulder in time to see that Toothless had bumped into a sea stack. Hiccup was grinding his teeth in pain, and I realized too late that the Screaming Death was right in front of them.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" I cried before Snowfire fired a fiery blast at the Screaming Death on the left side of it's face, while the twins fired on the right side.

"Barf, let em have it!" Ruffnut commanded as the Screaming Death flew upward. Tuffnut than got Belch to spark Barf's gas, and the resulting explosion forced the Screaming Death to turn away, only to get blasted by Hookfang next.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Snotlout jeered at the behemoth. The Screaming Death retaliated by firing it's spikes at both Hookfang and Meatlug, but they were fast enough to dodge them.

"He-He didn't mean that, sir! Or ma'am, whatever you are!" Fishlegs tried apologizing while Hookfang and Snotlout circled for another attack.

But before they could get a shot in, the Screaming Death suddenly let out fireball after fireball. My eyes widened in amazement and horror when the Screaming Death let loose like a machine gun. We flew frantically in different directions to avoid getting hit. That gave Hiccup enough time to recover from his fall and use his shield to gain it's attention.

"Let's see if we can use it's size against it," Hiccup said as Toothless shot up like an arrow.

"Stay safe," I prayed silently while Snowfire crooned worriedly.

Up and up they went, a mad dragon right behind their tail. "Yeah, come on, Toothless, go!" Hiccup cheered, determination drawling them both to perform dangerous stunts. After gaining enough altitude, they were able to level out for just a moment. "Hold... almost... now!" he shouted, prompting Toothless to do a power dive.

For a moment, it was like the Red Death all over again. But this time, there wasn't going to be anyone shooting fireballs into the larger dragon's mouth as it prepared to fire. Quickly pulling up, Hiccup and Toothless led the Screaming Death into an area that had highly packed sea stacks. "That's it. Keep coming. Almost there, big guy," Hiccup tried coaxing the Screaming Death to follow them further.

The Screaming Death was so dead set on getting the light that he had that it didn't notice where Hiccup and Toothless had led it. Just before the Screaming Death collided into a rock, Hiccup had Toothless fly up. The Screaming Death hit the sea stack face-first and went straight down, the collision force resulting in some rocks breaking off of it and pinning it's right wing to the ground. The Screaming Death roared in pain, attracting the attention of the three Whispering Death siblings who quickly flew to it's aid. While it managed to free it's wing, the Screaming Death tried flying away, only to crash into the ground once more.

"Poor thing," I murmured as guilt stabbed at my stomach. Despite all the chaos it had caused, and my revulsion towards Whispering Deaths, they were still dragons. That instinct to rush in and help them kept returning. "It must have broken it's wing and can't fly now." Then I noticed that the Whispering Deaths were flying in and carrying their sibling away from the island.

' _They would not abandon their family_ ,' Snowfire mused as she watched the scene warily. Toothless only responded in growling a warning to the Whispering Deaths that were retreating.

"Whoa, bud, whoa! It's hurt," Hiccup tried reassuring his best friend. "Let it go."

...

Once the crisis was averted, the village went on restoring what damage the four dragons had caused. I was more than relieved that it was over, but something told me this was not the last time we would see them. Jacob was sitting beside Jessica, who had her face buried in her hands as she trembled from shock.

"Everything okay?" I asked warily. Finally, Jessica looked up from her sobbing and glared at me.

"No!" she suddenly shouted. "You and your damned dragons are ruining everything! I can't stand living here anymore!" Even Jacob looked a little stunned to hear that. "There has to be a way back home... there has to be."

"Well, there is no way back, as far as we know," Jacob muttered crossly, still looking a bit shocked by what she said. "Besides, not all dragons are bad, in case you have forgotten." As if to prove his point, Sniper lowered his head and tried reassuring Jessica, but she only shrieked and pushed him away.

"Get it away from me!" she cried once again. Sniper just lifted his head and looked at her in disappointment, while Snowfire rolled her eyes.

' _Such a weak little hatchling_ ,' she crooned. Jessica's eyes widened when she realized she could hear what Snowfire was saying. ' _Perhaps you would be better suited with the Outcasts_.'

Jacob and I exchanged knowing looks. Something told me that putting Jessica with the Outcasts would end in disaster.

"Look, we'll find a way to get you out of this world," I said after giving it some thought. "Until than, you're just gonna have to deal with the fact that this world is different from ours. And that difference isn't always a bad thing."

Jessica just glared at me in response. I only rolled my eyes and turned to leave, Snowfire following me from behind.

' _She will never fit in with this world_ ,' Snowfire told me. I nodded in agreement, having already decided that we would never get along in the end. Jessica was always used to being the center of attention. Arriving on Berk had changed her entire world.

Snowfire took off once we were far enough away. We circled the island for a few minutes before she finally landed on a nearby sea stack overlooking the village. After everything that had happened today, it left me wondering if things would ever be patched up. I knew Hiccup was annoyed with me for not telling him the truth. But he was willing to take a fall for me, and I'd regretted letting him do that.

"You okay?" I looked at Jacob in surprise as Sniper landed beside us. "Don't listen to a word she says, she's just a crazy bag full of cats."

I couldn't help but grin at that expression. Jacob knew me all too well.

' _Something else is bothering you_.' I nodded as Snowfire nudged me gently. ' _Speak your mind, hatchling_.'

"I... I just have a bad feeling that this isn't over," I muttered after looking away uneasily. Jacob rose an eyebrow at that. "I mean, the conflict between me and Jessica, and those Whispering Deaths. If there's one thing I've learned from the Book of Dragons, hatchlings almost always return to their birthplace."

"Well, that could be a big problem," Jacob said after realization dawned on him. He never did take the time to learn Norse. I supposed he just didn't have the patience to learn it. "Have you thought of telling Hiccup or the others?"

All I could do was swallow and look away once again. I flinched when Jacob put a hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle yet firm.

"I don't know if they'd listen," I admitted guiltily. "We work together just fine, but..." I broke off and finally looked at him. "He doesn't trust me."

' _Maybe you need to learn to trust him_ ,' Snowfire informed me. I patted her on the shoulder and looked down at the village thoughtfully. Many times I'd thought of telling him the truth about my father. But I was scared, mostly of myself. I hated to admit that I didn't want him or anyone else judging me because of what my father did to me.

"Nobody's forcing you to tell anyone," Jacob reminded me. "But if you want them to trust you again, it might be a good idea to."

I looked at Jacob doubtfully, wondering if that would ever be true. Either way, I was in no hurry to tell them anything. At least not until I knew they could handle it without freaking out.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was fun to write... again, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've been having trouble writing a few of the chapters up ahead of schedule, so that's why it took so long /:**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - Lol, They might have you beaten there.**

 **The Silent Fury - Indeed it is :)**

 **Nire13 - I'm not sure if that will be happening anytime soon, but it might... it might ;)**


	37. Race to Fireworm Island

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

Hookfang was gasping for air as Snotlout pushed him to keep flying lap after lap around the sea stacks. A large dragon like him wasn't used to such exercise, and Snotlout's ranting wasn't making things better. "Come on, Hookfang! Is that all you got? If I wanted a slow, lazy dragon, I would've taken Meatlug and Fishlegs." Snotlout's challenge only drove the Monstrous Nightmare to further exhaustion as he pulled off power dives, swooping past us as we watched from a sea stack. "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" Snotlout chanted as they flew higher into the sky.

I rolled my eyes at the sight, having gotten used to Snotlout's obnoxious behavior. But this was different from before. Snotlout was pushing poor Hookfang to his limits. I could see clearly that Hookfang needed rest, and of course, Snotlout refused to see that need.

"What is with him?" Hiccup asked in disbelief as the others watched on.

"I heard that ever since Alvin and the Whispering Deaths attacked, he's been training nonstop," Astrid explained. Her explanation was validated by Fishlegs, who had looked on with the same annoyance.

"I heard he's been flying all night for the past week," he added.

"Yeah? Well I heard Gothi can debone a yak just by looking at it," added Tuffnut as if this was a challenge for him. Ruffnut just rolled her eyes as she sat atop Barf.

"Well, I heard if you sit on a Terrible Terror, you can make flames come out of your—" Ruffnut was luckily stopped from finishing that explanation when Astrid cut in.

"Whoa! What does that have to do with Snotlout?" she asked. The twins just exchanged looks of confusion before shrugging. By now I'd gotten used to their antics, having been part of their many pranks throughout the island.

"I thought you were playing the 'I Heard' game. And by the way, Terrible Terror thing, totally true," remarked Tuffnut.

' _Yes, we have seen it happen, and would prefer not hearing your scream of pain_ ,' Snowfire added with a roll of her eyes.

I just smirked and patted her on the shoulder. Snowfire wasn't normally one to cut into a conversation, unless she really meant what she said. Snotlout chose that moment to have Hookfang land in front of us, a look of pride showing in his face. The exhaustion in Hookfang's eyes were a completely different story. I actually felt sorry for poor Hookfang, who looked at us as if begging us to put an end to this torment.

"That's right! You saw what you just saw," Snotlout boasted while kissing his biceps, and I resisted the urge to gag. I wasn't the only one to notice Hookfang's exhaustion. Hiccup was looking at him in concern, noticing how dull his scales were starting to look.

"Snotlout, don't you think you're pushing Hookfang just a little too hard?" I asked, looking down at Hookfang worriedly. Snotlout just crossed his arms and looked at me defiantly.

"You say 'pushing', I say 'challenging'. Hookfang doesn't need rest. He's a warrior. And we warriors live for the thrill of battle. It's like my dad always says—" Snotlout was ready to share his father's 'inspiring' words when the others began guessing what he was about to say.

"Take a bath, Snotlout?" Astrid guessed.

"Rip your tongue out, Snotlout?" Ruffnut asked.

"Stick your head up a yak's—" Tuffnut began when Snotlout interjected, much to my relief.

"No! No! None of those. He says, ' _Rest is for the weak_ '." His statement earned looks of silence.

"And let's thank Snotlout for that inspirational speech," Hiccup said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Snotlout, of course, took it as a compliment. I guess not all Vikings liked or knew about sarcasm.

"You're welcome. Now, let's get on with the exercise, unless you guys are too tired," Snotlout jeered before urging Hookfang to fly, who already looked exhausted enough. "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" he cheered after leaving us behind, again.

"I can name one thing I'm tired of," Astrid deadpanned.

"You and me both," I muttered with a nod. Once the pair was gone, and we'd flown up in the air, Hiccup began the exercise by explaining what the exercise was about.

"Okay, guys! Alvin wants Berk for himself. And now he has dragons. If he can train them to fight, we'll have to battle dragon fighting soldiers up here," he instructed. I felt a shiver run through me at the thought of Alvin controlling dragons. No good would come out of this if he was capable of controlling them.

"Not to mention we have the Beserkers to worry about too," Jacob put in as he and Sniper joined us. I looked at him in surprise before rolling my eyes. "Sorry I'm late. Had a little... incident with Jessica," he added sheepishly.

' _None of us need to know what that hatchling is up to_ ,' Snowfire growled with a roll of her eyes. Astrid and I nodded in agreement once again.

"So we better step up our game," I added casually.

"Wait, where?" Tuffnut asked.

"Here, in the sky. On your dragon," replied Hiccup, sounding exasperated. Snotlout was more than ready for action as Hookfang flew back to join us.

"Well I say, bring it on, Alvin!" Snotlout shouted. I rolled my eyes as the others just looked at him with deadpanned expressions.

"Okay," said Hiccup once he'd shaken his head in frustration, "Astrid, for this exercise, you and Stormfly will act as our bad dragon."

This time I held back a groan at that notion. Astrid's idea of an exercise was almost as bad as Snotlout's. Plus, I'm pretty sure she had a score to settle with me. The smug look on her face only confirmed my worst fears.

"Stormfly, battle ready," Astrid commanded. Stormfly let out a squawk of excitement, eager to get this started as she broke apart from the rest of us and flew up.

"And the rest of you, make sure you don't get caught. She touches you, you're out," Hiccup reminded the rest of us.

' _This will surely test who is stealthiest_ ,' Snowfire hummed, ready to prove herself worthy. I nodded in agreement, more than happy to show just how stealthy we could be.

"Remember, this is also going to push your speed and skill strategies to the extreme. Make sure you don't get caught in two minutes," I added cheerfully. And with that, we were off.

Fishlegs and Meatlug opted for the safety of the dense forest. Meatlug glided and weaved her way past the trees easily as Fishlegs looked over his shoulder for signs of Astrid and Stormfly. "Now that is how a highly maneuverable Boulder Class Gronckle does it! Good girl!" Fishlegs cheered before Nadder spines suddenly came flying out of nowhere and stopped them in their tracks.

"Looks great from up here!" hollered Astrid as she and Stormfly flew past the chubby duo. "You're both out!" Astrid then patted Fishlegs' back and she and Stormfly flew off to tag the rest of their 'victims'.

"Don't let her get you don't, Meatlug. You still have the biggest heart out here," Fishlegs reassured the unhappy Gronckle. Meatlug let out a happy growl and wagged her tail in response.

"I told you this would work," said Tuffnut as he grinned at his sister.

"Hehe, yeah! She's staring right at us and she doesn't even know we're here," added Ruffnut.

Apparently the twins had thought it was a good idea to hide Barf and Belch behind a single tree. Their idea was in fact a bad idea from the very start, since Astrid and Stormfly were currently right in front of them. Astrid shook her head in disbelief as she had Stormfly walk over towards Barf's neck. "Out, and out!" she proclaimed, touching Barf's neck and eliminating them along with the twins from their game.

"Who's she talking to?" asked Tuffnut.

"Can't be us," whispered Ruffnut. Astrid shrugged it off, seeing no point in telling them they were out. She had Stormfly fly off to search for the others.

...

Meanwhile, Snowfire was gliding smoothly in the clouds. This was one of our favorite tactics, hide and seek. Snowfire had done this many times to confuse her opponents in battle, and this was no different. The only problem was, I couldn't see the enemies down below. A squawk alerted me to Astrid not being far behind.

' _To your right_!' Snowfire growled

"Snow, evasive maneuvers," I ordered. Snowfire swerved to the left and narrowly avoided getting hit by Nadder spines. She roared in defiance and fired an icy blast in Stormfly's direction. Astrid grunted in surprise by her retaliation. "Good job, now let's scare Stormfly away for good."

' _With pleasure_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement.

I covered my ears as she hovered for just a few seconds. She let out a screech loud enough for everyone on Berk to hear. One thing about Deadly Nadders was that they had a strong sense of hearing. Snowfire's screech was loud enough to easily shatter any chances Astrid had of tracking us down. Stormfly squawked in frustration as she dove lower into the clouds to avoid Snowfire's piercing screech.

Astrid looked around in shock to find us gone. She shook her head in disbelief when she realized the trick we'd played.

"I should've seen that coming," she muttered crossly as Stormfly searched for their next victim.

...

Hiccup and Toothless were soaring high in the sky not far from where Alex and Snowfire had been. He too was looking around for signs of the 'bad dragon'. Stormfly had caught up with them after having lost sight of her last prey. Now the pair managed to fly right behind Toothless, who warbled in surprise.

"You might as well give up, now!" Astrid crowed cheekily.

"Wow, you sound just like Alvin," Hiccup said sarcastically before he and Toothless spotted a cave a few inches away from them. "Come on, bud. Let's see how she does when the light's out." He patted Toothless on the head, confident they would throw off Astrid and Stormfly's resolve. Astrid only scoffed when she saw what Hiccup was doing.

"Hiccup, you are so predictable," she said, knowing how well Toothless could navigate through the dark. While Alex and Snowfire relied on the clouds for coverage, Toothless relied on the blackness of night to keep himself protected.

Toothless roared, using his echo location to navigate his way through the darkness. What neither of them counted on was Astrid having Stormfly use her fire to light the way and spot them. "Astrid, so predictable," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes.

Then, as she reached the other side of the cave, Astrid noticed that he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Hiccup seemed to have vanished as well. As Stormfly flew out of the cave, Toothless looked up from his decoy position.

"She's not going to be too pleased about this, is she?" asked Hiccup once they were gone. Astrid and Stormfly had just flown out of the cave when they looked around in confusion. There were no signs of Hiccup or Toothless, much to her frustration.

"No!" she shouted. It was bad enough she had lost one 'victim'. She was in no hurry to fail again. Her mood wasn't swayed though when she spotted Snotlout and Hookfang swooping right past them. Jacob wasn't far behind as he tried to keep Sniper out of the firing line. Determination took over as Astrid had Stormfly pick up the pace while Snotlout pushed Hookfang even faster.

"Okay, Hookfang. Let's show 'em who the _real_ king of the sky is! Flame!" Snotlout commanded. Hookfang really did try his best. But he was so tired that he couldn't sustain a flame longer than a second. "Uh, Hookfang, I said flame!" Snotlout repeated, getting the same result.

Astrid then had Stormfly do a spiral and tagged Snotlout out of the game. "And out!" she declared, slapping her hand against his helmet.

"Come on! Stop being so stubborn!" Snotlout groaned as Hookfang kept trying. Hiccup frowned as Toothless emerged from the cave, noticing that something was wrong with poor Hookfang.

...

Moments later Snowfire followed the others to the beach. We'd been watching the entire scene from a distance. Whatever Snotlout denied wasn't true. Hookfang was exhausted, and had probably run out of firepower during their 'training' exercises.

"What? What's the matter with everyone?" Snotlout asked anxiously as we all stared at Hookfang warily. "Never seen a stubborn dragon before?"

"Snotlout, that isn't stubbornness," I pointed out. "There's something wrong with Hookfang. He wouldn't flame up."

"No, Hookfang didn't _want_ to flame up. There's a difference," Snotlout retorted. "He's bored with your dumb exercise and he can flame up whenever he wants."

' _Would you stop acting like a stubborn hatchling and accept what is wrong_?' Snowfire growled with a roll of her eyes. Snotlout was the third person on Berk she did not get along with. Well, second since Mildew abandoned us. I understood why she didn't like him very much. He was too hard on Hookfang, who clearly needed a rest.

"Okay... how about now?" asked Tuffnut.

"Nah. He doesn't feel like it," replied Snotlout.

Hiccup glanced at me expectantly, as if I had the answers to every problem. I just shrugged, realizing there was no avoiding the inevitable.

"Snotlout, I may not be a doctor or a certified healer, but I suggest you have Hookfang looked at," I told him. "Something is clearly wrong with him, whether you'll admit it or not. Would you really want to be responsible for anything happening to Hookfang?"

...

We were all gathered in the arena after Snotlout reluctantly agreed to have Hookfang looked at. He would never admit that something was wrong with Hookfang. Especially when Snotlout was supposedly the 'toughest' Viking on Berk.

"So, it looks like Hookfang has no fire," I observed after checking over Hookfang, who looked relieved at the thought of getting some rest. "Pale coloration, check," I added after noting how dull and pale his scales looked. "And flaking scales..." As if to prove my point, Hookfang shook himself and scales scattered the area.

Snotlout, however, seemed oblivious to the fact that something was clearly wrong with Hookfang. "See? He's fine!" Snotlout tried reassuring us before kneeling down next to his Monstrous Nightmare. "Checks all good, right?" he asked.

"Totally," replied Tuffnut as he leaned casually against an elevated part of the Academy. Fishlegs looked at Hookfang anxiously.

"Snotlout, in this case, I'm afraid the checks are all bad news," I murmured, looking at Hookfang sympathetically. Fishlegs chose that moment to join us.

"Hiccup, Alex, any one of those symptoms would not be good. But together, they are really bad," he informed us.

"So what are you saying, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked anxiously. The look on his face told us everything. I swallowed at the thought of losing anyone. Hookfang was a good dragon. He just had a stupid Rider who had a few screws loose.

"According to the Book of Dragons, a Monstrous Nightmare can lose its ability to generate a flame," Fishlegs explained.

"But why?" asked Astrid, her eyes wide in shock. I looked at Jacob anxiously, knowing that he needed to heed Fishlegs' advice for future references. Sniper looked just as anxious as Hookfang, but he still had his healthy appearance.

"Lots of reasons," Fishlegs replied and started counting them off, "old age, injury, exhaustion."

 _'He was pushed too hard by his Rider_ ,' Snowfire growled irritably. I patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. Never would I push her to the extent that Snotlout had unless she was up to the challenge.

"I heard that!" Snotlout retorted.

' _You were meant to, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire snapped.

"I always work him this hard," Snotlout protested. "So he's a little out of flame. What's the cure?"

"That's the thing with Stoker Class dragons," said Fishlegs. "Once they lose their flaming ability, they become completely defenseless, and..." Fishlegs stopped himself and looked at us anxiously.

"What are you saying, Fishlegs?" Snotlout demanded. For once, I could actually see that he looked a bit worried. Fishlegs looked like he was ready to speak when he thought better of it. He looked at me as if expecting a direct answer.

I was only just learning how to heal dragon's wounds and sicknesses. Between the Book of Dragons and all the books they had in the Berkian library, it was almost impossible to find all of the cures. And finding one for Hookfang wouldn't be easy.

"He's saying that Hookfang is in trouble," I explained warily. "Even with what little knowledge I have in dragon healing, I don't know all that much about Monstrous Nightmares. And we need to do something, now."

I really hoped it wasn't too late. Poor Hookfang looked so out of it already. And the look on Snotlout's face was enough to make me realize that he did care. Now he understood the severity of the situation he'd put Hookfang under. And if we didn't find a cure for Hookfang... well, I didn't want to know how that would end.

...

Snowfire glided smoothly along the edge of Berk, keeping well away from the village. News of Hookfang's sickness had spread like wildfire among the Riders. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were arguing over how long it would take for Snotlout to admit that Hookfang was sick. Jacob was busy worrying over whether or not he was overworking Sniper, who just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I hate seeing any dragon in pain, let alone a good friend," I murmured as Snowfire landed on the outskirts of the village. "There isn't anything in the library about healing a Stoker Class dragon, as far as I'm aware."

 _'There is probably another source you can look at_ ,' Snowfire suggested. I almost wished she had the answers to our problems, but something told me she didn't know the answers to everything. I shook my head as walked past Snotlout's place.

"Snotlout!" Spitelout yelled the moment he arrived.

"Oh, hey dad. Didn't expect you home so soon," Snotlout replied.

"Have you seen my spare bludgeon?" Spitelout asked.

"Uh, no, I haven't," replied Snotlout.

"I could've sworn I left it here," Spitelout muttered as I heard him walk around and toss a few weapons out of a chest.

"You want to borrow mine?" asked Snotlout.

"Yeah," replied Spitelout as he walked over. "I have to get back to the port. We're having a contest to see whose skull is the strongest," he explained while banging his helmet.

"Sounds fun," said Snotlout. I hadn't missed the awkward silence that followed, and guessed that Snotlout's father had finally noticed Hookfang's appearance.

"Troubles with the lizard, son?" he asked.

"What? Him?" Snotlout asked. "Oh, he's fine. Just resting."

"You know what I say about rest?" Spitelout asked.

"Rest is for the weak," they both said at the same time. Snotlout chuckled nervously.

"It's just a break, you know, from annihilating stuff all day," he reassured his father. "Isn't that right, Hookfang?" I held back a sigh of frustration when Hookfang groaned in response. He chuckled nervously again when something put him on edge. "He's roaring on the inside."

I peered through the window in time to see that Spitelout didn't look convinced as the other Riders flew past. Not helping the cause, guys. Spitelout looked past his son and returned to the chest he'd been digging in earlier and pulled out a sword. "You know, boy-o, as Viking warriors, if our swords aren't cutting properly, we sharpen them. But if our swords cannot be sharpened any longer..." I winced when he slammed the sword against his knee and it broke. "We get a new sword." He then put the sword back into the barrel as Snowfire and I skittered from the window. "Thanks for the bludgeon."

...

I spent most of the night reading through Bork's Journals and papers, looking for any information on Stoker Class dragons. After staying up for the majority of that night, I finally found something that looked useful. My eyes widened as I caught sight of Fireworm dragons. They were in the same class as Monstrous Nightmares, and they might have had some kind of connection with them. Either way, it was worth investigating.

By the time morning came, I was exhausted as I joined the others in the arena. Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid were trying to tend to Hookfang while Snotlout watched them anxiously. He looked even worse than last night, and that was saying something.

"Don't worry, Snotlout. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise," Hiccup reassured Snotlout, who looked like he was ready to cry.

"I'm not crying," Snotlout protested, placing a hand on Hookfang's head. Already rattled from what his father had said the night before, Snotlout allowed a small tear to form at the edge of his vision. And of course Tuffnut had noticed.

"Whoa... are you crying? What's it like?" Tuffnut asked in amazement.

"Crying?" Snotlout retorted and punched Tuffnut. "That's ridiculous! Ha! There's dust in my eyes. Can't you see how dusty it is in here, guys, right?" He started whimpering, earning a look of surprise from Astrid.

"Snotlout, there's nothing wrong with being upset," she reassured him. "It just means you care." Snotlout looked at her before backing away.

"Alright, um, let's pretend for just a minute that I did, well, care... how would you know? I mean, I mean, how would you know?" he asked.

"Well, you might feel a tightness in your chest. You might get a little shaky. Your eyes might get watery," Astrid explained helpfully.

Apart from the shaky feeling, Snotlout really did care. But he was too stubborn to admit that he did, especially with Tuffnut and Ruffnut looking at him expectantly. The twins would never let him live it down if he admitted the truth.

"Yeah... I'm going with the dust... for now," he said.

"There's something in the Bork papers regarding the Stoker Class dragon's flame," I explained as we arrived.

Snowfire let out an uneasy growl as she caught sight of Hookfang. Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at me in surprise as I dropped a pile of books and papers we'd grabbed from the library. Sure enough there was a picture of Fireworm dragons surrounded by honeycomb like objects. I still hadn't quite figured out what that meant.

"Fireworm dragons," Hiccup said after realizing where I was getting at.

"Or as Bork referred to them, the _Flame Eaters_ ," Fishlegs put in.

"Flame eaters! We should be flame eaters!" exclaimed Tuffnut.

"Cool!" Ruffnut yelled and punched her brother in the back.

"Fireworms are Stoker Class dragons. There must be something in them that can help reignite the Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup said while reading through the papers carefully. Standing up, Hiccup got the team together once we'd decided what to do. "Astrid, the twins and I will round up as many Fireworms as we can find. Alex, make sure that Hookfang's comfortable." I just nodded, having already decided that I would stay with Snotlout and Hookfang. There was no way I'd let anything happen to Hookfang under my watch.

"What about me?" asked Snotlout.

"You stay with your dragon. He needs you," answered Hiccup.

"It's part of caring," Astrid added helpfully.

...

A few hours had passed since the others left for Fireworm island. They had gathered as many as they could without burning themselves in the process. Fireworms were tricky little devils, in that they were as hot as the sun itself. I imagine that's why they were capable of reigniting the flame of Monstrous Nightmares. They placed the Fireworms in a circle around Hookfang in an attempt to make him better. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work.

' _Nothing is happening_ ,' Snowfire announced, earning looks from everyone.

"Well... that might not have worked, but—"

"Maybe he can drink from this," Tuffnut cut Hiccup off by holding up a bowl with some kind of liquid in it. My nose wrinkled in disgust when I saw the strange orange liquid within the bowl. Something told me that would do anything but help Hookfang.

"What-What is that?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"Fireworm milk," Ruffnut explained gleefully.

"Fireworm milk?" Astrid and I asked at the same time. Apparently, we both found it highly doubtful Fireworms could produce such a substance.

"Um, Tuffnut, I don't think you can actually milk a Fireworm," Fishlegs told Tuffnut.

"Oh, great, thanks. Where were you three hours ago?" Tuffnut muttered crossly, holding up a bandaged hand.

"Are you sure those two have any brain cells?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes. I just nudged him playfully, knowing he didn't have much patience for the twins and their antics.

"Maybe we need to put the Fireworms on Hookfang, so he can absorb the heat directly," I suggested after giving the situation some thought.

"Yeah, yeah. Good idea, Alex," Snotlout said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me excitedly. "Direct heat – that makes sense." I winced as he released his grip on my shoulders and looked at the others. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he demanded.

Using tongs to hold the Fireworms without getting burned, we all began to place them on Hookfang. Once the Fireworms were placed, flames had begun to spread along Hookfang's head.

"It's working," Snotlout said, thrilled at the fact that his dragon looked better already. But as quickly as it happened, the flames began to die down. "We need more Fireworms now!" he shouted, frantically going through the Academy's supplies in the hopes of finding more Fireworms. I shook my head as I realized it wasn't enough. More Fireworms were needed in order to bring back Hookfang's flame. "You here me? More Fireworms!" he yelled, shaking a bucket.

"Snotlout, I think we've found all the Fireworms we could on Berk," Astrid told him, her expression grim with realization.

Snotlout dropped the bucket, the look on his face making me realize just how desperate he was to save Hookfang. In the meantime, the twins were busy fighting each other again.

"Come on, you said you wanted to be a flame eater!" Ruffnut said, trying to place a Fireworm on her brother.

"I did, didn't I?" Tuffnut asked in a rather proud tone while trying to place a Fireworm on his sister.

I shook my head at the sight, wondering how the twins could be playing at a time like this. Then I noticed something odd about the Fireworms. The Fireworms were glowing brightly when they were placed near each other. I didn't miss the look of understanding in Hiccup's eyes as he observed them as well.

"Um, do you really think now is a good time to be focusing on the twins?" Jacob asked skeptically.

"Actually, it's the perfect time," I replied, earning a look of surprise from Hiccup and Astrid. Fortunately, Hiccup understood where I was getting at. "They just gave me an idea." Hiccup nodded in agreement before walking over to the twins.

"I don't say this often, but you two are geniuses," he added.

"Like we don't know that," Tuffnut scoffed.

Grabbing an old lantern spear, Hiccup placed the Fireworms inside to make it glow. Snotlout was the first to notice what he was up to and immediately got suspicious.

"What are you doing, Hiccup?" Snotlout demanded. "Shouldn't you be figuring out how to save my dragon?"

"I am," Hiccup replied confidently and joined us with the lantern full of Fireworms. "As Ruff and Tuff so astutely discovered, Fireworms get brighter the closer they are to one another," he explained. He placed the lantern down next to the Fireworms, and they started to glow shortly after.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Astrid said.

"Whoa... we discovered that?" Ruffnut asked in disbelief.

"Yes, you did," Hiccup replied. The twins cheered and banged their heads together. "So, if I'm right, the closer we get to more Fireworm, then..." He stopped and gestured to the twins, who looked at him blankly. "Come on, Tuff. Lead us home," he encouraged. The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll... burst into flames!" Tuffnut answered. The twins cheered and banged their helmets together again, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

' _And they're back_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at the sight.

"No, actually, the closer we get, the brighter the Fireworms will glow," I reminded them.

"Inside this," Hiccup finished, holding up the lantern.

"Ugh, much less fun then bursting into flames," complained Tuffnut.

' _I wouldn't bother asking them complicated questions_ ,' Snowfire suggested, looking at the twins with narrowed eyes.

"Wait a minute," said Snotlout as he realized what Hiccup and I were implying, "I thought you said there were no more Fireworms on the island."

"There aren't on this island, but there are plenty on Fireworm Island," said Fishlegs. He opened the Book of Dragons to a picture that showed Fireworm Island, and I tilted my head at the 'not so clever' name.

"Fireworm Island?" Snotlout repeated, eyeing the picture curiously.

"That's where these little guys are gonna take us," Fishlegs reassured him, gesturing to the lantern.

Hookfang let out a growl, catching Snotlout's attention. He walked over to his Monstrous Nightmare, and supporting his right wing, Snotlout tried to get Hookfang back on his feet. "Come on, Hookfang. You've gotta dig deep. I know you've got some fight left in you." Hookfang looked at his Rider as if realization dawned on him. I suspected Hookfang was just as amazed as the rest of us that his Rider hadn't given up on him. "Come on, Hookfang! Yes! Yes, that's it! Yes!" Snotlout cheered as Hookfang managed to get to his full height and let out a powerful roar.

...

Later that night, we'd all gathered to search for Fireworm Island. Hiccup and Toothless had taken the lead, much to my relief. Snowfire fell in beside Sniper and Jacob. I hadn't missed the worried look when Jacob finally glanced in my direction.

"So... what happens if there's a healthy Monstrous Nightmare on Fireworm Island?" he asked nervously.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Never really put much thought into that." I paused at the look he was giving me, and realized he was more concerned for Sniper's safety than his own. "Look at you, worrying about a dragon's life over your own," I added with a knowing smirk. Jacob just stuck his tongue out, already knowing where this was going.

Snowfire fell in beside Hookfang and Snotlout as they struggled to keep up with the group. It looked as though Hookfang was running on fumes, and once again I couldn't help but watch with sympathy. Losing a dragon was something I never expected to see. Especially when said dragon had become your best friend. It was obvious Snotlout cared about Hookfang, whether he admitted it or not.

' _He actually does have a heart_ ,' Snowfire mused as Snotlout continued encouraging Hookfang to keep moving.

"Come on, Hookfang. You can do it!" I exclaimed, hoping that would be enough for the Monstrous Nightmare to keep going.

"Hang in there, Hookfang. We'll find more Fireworms, I promise," Snotlout added reassuringly. Hookfang let out a weak growl in response, as if reassuring his Rider that everything would be okay.

Flying close to Stormfly close to Toothless, Astrid helped Hiccup scan the area for the island. I hadn't missed how close those two had gotten over the last few weeks. It hurt, knowing that my secret was ruining whatever relationship we'd had. I shook my head and tried to shake off the uneasy feeling. There were bigger things to worry about right now, and one of them was Hookfang's health.

"Are you seeing anything yet?" Astrid asked warily.

"No, nothing yet," Hiccup replied. Fishlegs had Meatlug flanking their right.

"Hiccup, Hookfang is getting weaker without his flame. I-I'm afraid he won't be able to fly much longer," Fishlegs informed him.

' _Now is not the time to give up_ ,' Snowfire growled a warning. Hookfang merely roared back weakly, earning a look of surprise from Hiccup and Snotlout.

"I know. We don't have much time," Hiccup said anxiously as we continued flying.

Behind them, Hookfang was steadily losing altitude. My eyes widened with realization as Jacob had Sniper fly underneath Hookfang to give his comrade a boost. I'd never seen Jacob so determined to help Snotlout and Hookfang.

"Ya can't give up now, Hookfang," Jacob grunted under the weight of Hookfang pressing against him. Fishlegs had noticed too and looked at Hiccup anxiously.

"Hookfang is losing too much strength," the chubby Ingerman boy said. "We're gonna have to turn back."

"No!" yelled Snotlout. "We have to keep going."

"I don't know how much longer we can keep this up," Jacob said through gritted teeth. Even Sniper was struggling, and he had about the same strength as Hookfang when he was in good health. They gave it all they had to keep Hookfang airborne.

Sensing the danger they were in, Hiccup sighed and shook his head. "Fishlegs' is right, Snotlout. He's losing too much altitude, it's not safe," he said. Of course Snotlout refused to listen to his advice.

"Come on, boy. Keep fighting!" Snotlout encouraged Hookfang as he began to go down some more.

"Guys, a little help?" Jacob called out. Snowfire immediately fell in beside Sniper while the others flew around him in a defensive formation around Hookfang.

"We should turn back!" Astrid said once they had surrounded Hookfang.

Hiccup threw Snotlout a look, and for once, his cousin didn't bother arguing. We'd begun to turn back when, all of a sudden, the Fireworm lantern began to glow. Snowfire was the first to notice it, and she indicated with her snout that it was glowing. Soon the others had taken notice too, and Fishlegs' eyes widened in excitement.

"Guys, look!" he cried out.

"I-I see it!" Hiccup exclaimed.

' _We must be getting close_ ,' Snowfire mused.

I patted her on the shoulder, realizing that she was right. The Fireworms glowed brighter as they got closer to more of their kin. This was definitely a good sign. Instead of flying back like Astrid had intended, we flew closer until a thick mist began to surround us. Soon an entire island came into view, and I knew at that moment that we had reached our destination.

"That's got to be it. Fireworm Island," Hiccup said. We landed on the beach and immediately got into the second phase of our plan. "They must be inside there," Hiccup guessed, spotting an entrance to a cave on the beach.

Hookfang chose that moment to land clumsily on the ground, slumping down in exhaustion. Snotlout quickly got off his dragon and began to worry. I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever seen Snotlout worry about anything other than himself.

"Poor Hookfang's health is deteriorating by the second," I murmured. "We need to find the cure soon, otherwise we might not make it in time." Jacob and I exchanged knowing looks. Having a companion around in a time like this might actually help.

"Snotlout, I think you need to stay behind with Hookfang. Astrid and I will bring back the Fireworms," Hiccup told him gently.

Snotlout was fully aware that Hiccup was right. Hookfang needed him now more than ever. Yet I remembered what his father, Spitelout had said the other night. This was all his fault. Hookfang could die because of his mistake. Snotlout had more pride in him than he was willing to admit, and he was determined to save Hookfang no matter what it took. Hookfang was his dragon, his partner in crime. Just like my bond with Snowfire, there was no severing that closeness.

"No, it's _my_ fault, Hiccup. I did this to Hookfang, I'm going to save him," Snotlout retorted after giving it some thought.

"Hiccup, we'll stay behind with Hookfang," Jacob announced as Sniper rose his head in agreement. "I'm honestly not sure what those Fireworms would do to a healthy Monstrous Nightmare." Hookfang rose his head as well and growled weakly, nudging his head towards Fishlegs and I.

' _We will watch over him_ ,' Snowfire added reassuringly, noting Hookfang's oddly affectionate behavior. ' _And you had better hurry._ ' Hiccup nodded, encouraged by the fact that we were all willing to watch over Hookfang.

...

"Come on," Hiccup said, gesturing to Snotlout as he released a couple of Fireworms. He and Snotlout quickly got on Toothless and followed the Fireworms.

What they weren't expecting was to find a large cavern filled with honeycomb structures. It was like a beehive, for Fireworms!

"What is that?" asked Snotlout.

"I think it's a nest," Hiccup replied, then noticed Fireworms were licking the gel that secreted from the combs lining the walls. So if bees had their honeycombs, Fireworms had their Firecombs. " _Flame Eaters_... _That's_ what Bork meant. Those Firecombs are filled with gel. Eating it gives Fireworms their heat!" Then realization hit him as he remembered what the twins had been talking about. "Whatever you do, please don't tell the twins about this," he added, worried that they might actually try to become flame eaters by getting their hands on this gel. Snotlout than got off Toothless and walked over to the Firecomb, not listening to Hiccup's next advice, "We have to be careful not to disturb the nest. Make sure you don't touch a..." Of course Snotlout would ignore him and tried pulling off a Firecomb from the walls of the nest. "Snotlout, no!" Hiccup shouted frantically.

"This is gonna save Hookfang," Snotlout said as he successfully pulled off a piece of Firecomb. "I got it!" he exclaimed before a thunderous roar echoing throughout the nest. "What was that?" Snotlout asked anxiously. Then this huge Fireworm dragon came out from behind the tunnel and roared again.

"Uh... that would be the mother, the Fireworm Queen," Hiccup informed his cousin.

Angered that these humans had intruded on her nest and stolen the precious Firecomb needed for her young, the Fireworm Queen prepared to attack. Toothless let out a warning growl and got into a defensive stance, preparing to fight back.

"Toothless, she's just protecting her nest. _We_ are the intruders here," Hiccup reminded his best dragon friend. Once Toothless lowered his head reluctantly, Hiccup glanced at his cousin uneasily. "Uh, Snotlout, I'm thinking you should... probably put it back," he whispered urgently. Snotlout, of course, was too stubborn to listen.

"No. This is the only way to save Hookfang, and I'm not giving up!" Snotlout snapped before making a break for it, the Queen giving chase.

"Bud, that Queen is not happy," Hiccup said to Toothless. Quickly, the Night Fury ran after the Queen. Snotlout continued running with the Firecomb clutched in his arms. The enraged Fireworm Queen had started closing in on him, but before she could clamp her jaws around him, Toothless fired a plasma blast at her. "Okay, bud, let's get out of here!" Hiccup shouted as the now pissed off Fireworm Queen pursued them.

Toothless navigated his way through the dark tunnels, rounding a corner and narrowly dodging rocks falling on them as the chase continued. After a while, Snotlout dared to look over his shoulder and noticed that the Queen was no longer behind them.

"Where... where'd she go? I think we lost her," the Jorgenson boy sighed in relief.

"We don't have time to worry about that right now! She's out of our way and the exit is up ahead," Hiccup told him as they neared the exit. And of course that was when the Fireworm Queen appeared again. "And she took a shortcut," he groaned in annoyance.

"There's no way out!" Snotlout shouted.

Suddenly, the blast of a Deadly Nadder and an icy blast from a White Terror forced the Fireworm Queen to back off. "Astrid! Stormfly! Alex! Snowfire!" Hiccup shouted, seeing the two of them fight off the Queen

"Don't worry, we've got this!" Alex called back.

"We'll handle the Queen. You get to Hookfang!" Astrid shouted. Toothless was able to land in front of Hookfang.

"I got it, Hookfang! I got it! You need to eat this right away!" Snotlout rolled the Firecomb in front of Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare sniffed the Firecomb, and the smell was beginning to rouse him out of his weakened state. But Astrid, Stormfly, Alex and Snowfire were having a difficult time keeping the Fireworm Queen at bay.

"Watch out!" Alex cried as the angry Fireworm Queen breathed fire again, forcing Stormfly and Snowfire to retreat. Snotlout was getting increasingly anxious. Hookfang was getting weaker and the Fireworm Queen was getting stronger.

"What are you waiting for, Hookfang? Eat it! Eat it!" he ordered frantically as the Fireworm Queen roared defiantly, reaching them. "You want to get to my dragon? You have to go through me!" Snotlout shouted with equal defiance. Then, to Snotlout's horror, Hookfang grabbed the Firecomb and threw it back at the Queen. "No! What are you doing, Hookfang? You need to eat that!"

Hookfang merely slumped to the ground, exhausted and ready to face whatever fate fell upon him. If dying meant that his stubborn Rider would live, Hookfang was willing to do just that. Give his life in the line of battle. Hiccup was the first to notice what Hookfang was doing, realization dawning on all of the Riders.

"Snotlout... he's protecting you... he's doing for you what you're willing to do for him," Hiccup told him, his voice soft.

Snotlout's eyes widened as he realized that Hiccup was right. Hookfang was willing to give his life, despite the fact that they never got along like the other Riders and their dragons. They still cared about each other to the point they were willing to die for one another. Their bond wasn't strong like Hiccup and Toothless, or Alex and Snowfire, but it was strong.

Reluctantly, Snotlout placed the Firecomb on the ground in front of the Fireworm Queen. Once the dragon had taken it, they all thought it might be over. Unfortunately, it wasn't. After getting the Firecomb back, the Fireworm Queen wrapped her neck around Hookfang's neck and lifted him from the ground.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled as he realized what she was doing. The Fireworm Queen had already known what to do when she saw Hookfang. Using her forked tongue, the Fireworm Queen injected Hookfang with her venom straight into Hookfang. But to the horrified Riders, they thought she was giving him a death blow. "No!" Snotlout cried out in horror. He rushed over to Hookfang's aid, only to get swatted away by the Queen's wing.

"Hiccup!" Astrid alerted the one-legged teen, who, along with Toothless, sprung into action and made the Fireworm Queen back off while Alex and Snowfire caught Snotlout before he harshly hit the ground. But after that, Hookfang fell to the ground, lifeless.

...

' _He gave his life to defend his Rider_ ,' Snowfire said, her voice grim as we watched the scene in shock.

"Hookfang..." Snotlout whimpered as he saw the state Hookfang was in. I couldn't help but look away as I realized what had happened. Toothless let out a moan while the other dragons lowered their heads in respect. Hookfang's eyelids weakly flickered open and he looked at Snotlout, who was gently petting him. "I'm right with you... you're not just another sword, Hookfang," he reassured his dragon, closing his eyes and refusing to leave Hookfang's side. That's when Hookfang's scales began to heat up. Opening his eyes, Snotlout began to notice the heat. "Huh... that's weird, he's really hot."

"Snotlout, look, his scales!" I pointed out after noticing that Hookfang was beginning to regain color in his scales. Snotlout stumbled back as Hookfang shifted, slowly standing up. He towered over his Rider, body soon engulfed in flames. He let out a resounding roar as if to say, 'I'm back!'

"Hookfang! You're okay!" Snotlout cried joyfully.

"The flames on his skin are back, so the gel must be regenerating," realized Fishlegs.

"When she bit him, it must have been the venom that started it up again," mused Hiccup.

Huh, that was good to know in the future. I wondered how difficult it would be to extract Fireworm venom, especially in case something like this happened again. Turning to look at us once more, the Fireworm Queen let out a roar as if to thank us for returning the Firecomb. Then she did something I wasn't expecting.

She approached me cautiously, earning a warning growl from Snowfire. The others stepped back fearfully. I eyed the Queen thoughtfully, realizing that she wasn't in a threatening stance. Instead, she was merely curious. She sniffed my hand once before crooning in satisfaction and returning to the nest.

"That... was weird," I murmured once she was gone. It was still strange getting used to that ability, especially since I had little idea of how far it stretched. That was when I realized she had given me a piece of the Firecomb. A small piece, but something nonetheless.

' _Perhaps there is something you can make out of that_ ,' Snowfire hummed as she eyed the Firecomb curiously.

"She saved Hookfang," Snotlout pressed. Astrid noticed that Snotlout had a few tears in his eyes, from the fact that Hookfang had survived.

"Got some dust in your eyes?" she asked knowingly.

"Yeah, that's it," Snotlout replied, scrubbing his eyes. "Stupid dust."

...

The next day, we were all waiting for Snotlout and Hookfang on a sea stack so we could start our exercise.

"Where is he?" asked Astrid.

"Why are we always waiting for him?" complained Fishlegs.

"There he is," Hiccup announced, noticing the arrival of the duo as Hookfang landed on the sea stack. "Okay, good. We're all here. Snotlout, you and Hookfang are the evil dragon this time."

"Actually I thought we'd sit this one out. Maybe go on a nice flight, take the sights," Snotlout replied. "Just wanna make sure he's fully rested."

' _Who are you, and what have you done with that obnoxious hatchling_?' asked Snowfire in amusement. Snotlout just crossed his arms in response and looked away.

"I thought your dad said, 'rest is for the weak'?" I added.

"Turns out, my dad knows absolutely nothing about dragons," Snotlout replied in a somewhat smug tone. "I just wanna take it easy on Hookfang until he's back to his old self." As if to prove that he was okay, Hookfang threw Snotlout into the air and flew up after igniting himself and catching Snotlout on the back of his neck. "Stupid dragon!" he shouted.

"Okay, good. Back to his old self," Hiccup said with a knowing grin. "Shall we?" We flew on through the skies, working on the exercise in question while laughing. The bond between Rider and dragon was inseparable. Snotlout's bond with Hookfang had just proven that the other day, and we would never forget what a dragon was willing to do for us.

* * *

 **AN: So there's the next chapter! The next few chapters will probably take a while for me to post. These chapters were typed ahead of time, but for some reason the next few are kicking my poor brain's butt :( Hopefully it won't last, but I'm not making any promises.**

 **TheSilentFury - Unfortunately, life never works out that way :P Alex and Hiccup's relationship will definitely be rocky, at best.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky - XD I'm glad someone is. I don't feel as if I've given her enough importance in the story... that should change though towards the end of Defenders arch. I'd love for her to play a more important roll towards the end of it, drastically effecting the lives of everyone on Berk ;) And as for romance, I'm afraid that probably won't be happening anytime soon...**


	38. Fright of Passage

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

" _It feels like a tear in my heart, Like a part of me missing And I just can't feel it, I've tried and I've tried, And I've tried Tears on my face I can't take it, If lonely's a taste, then it's all that I'm tasting Do you hear my cry? I cry, oh..._ " Can You Hold Me - NF, Featuring Britt Nicole

* * *

I'd learned a lot of things over the last few months on Berk. One of them happened to be the Dragon Attacks that occurred before Hiccup had made peace with the dragons. There was one dragon in particular that had scared the Vikings more than anything. It was called the Flightmare.

A ghostly dragon that appeared once every ten years during an aurora called Aurvandil's Fire. Rumor had it that one look of this dragon could freeze a man in sight.

According to legend, ten years ago during Aurvandil's Fire, a lone Viking known for his courage and fearlessness attacked the Flightmare. But instead of attacking the dragon, it froze him on the spot, killing him and placing shame on his entire clan.

The Viking's name happened to be Fearless Fin Hofferson, Astrid Hofferson's uncle. From what Hiccup once told me, Astrid had spent the rest of her years training to take on the Flightmare and bring back her family's honor.

Today, Astrid's axe embedded itself on the wall right behind her. She was currently in a destructive mood, thrusting her axe into objects left and right all around the Dragon Academy. According to the rumors floating around, tonight was the night of Aurvandil's Fire, which meant that a dragon known as the Flightmare would be back. I was aware of Astrid's short temper, but this was different. From the stories I gathered, she was trying to regain her uncle's honor.

"You want some of this?" she demanded, flinging her axe again. I ducked while Snowfire caught it between her teeth, spitting it back towards Astrid who ducked out of the way.

"She's worse than usual," I muttered as we skirted out of the way.

' _Perhaps a good cup of meed will help soothe her nerves_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at the look I gave her. Now really wasn't the occasion for that.

"I-I'm pretty sure – yep, I think you got them all," Hiccup said after noticing all the damage Astrid had caused.

"Astrid's been killing inanimate objects all day," Jacob said as Astrid kept slamming her axe around.

"She's really wound up about that Flightmare," Hiccup nodded in agreement. Snotlout of course chose that moment to speak up, only making the situation worse.

"Too bad she's wasting her time. When the Flightmare comes, the Hofferson's freeze. Right, Astrid? I mean, you are a—" Snotlout didn't get the chance to finish when Astrid's axe flew straight into the wall of the Academy just inches away from his face. "—Hofferson," he finished his sentence nervously.

' _You are only making things worse, obnoxious hatchling_ ,' Snowfire growled in annoyance. Hiccup than chose this moment to try and calm Astrid down before she tried hurting someone.

"Okay, okay, let's take a deep breath. Just because Aurvandil's Fire is coming, doesn't mean the Flightmare is too," Hiccup tried telling her calmly.

"Sure it does," Fishlegs quipped, much to our annoyance, "Every ten years the sky lights up with Aurvandil's Fire, and when it does, the Flightmare appears. It's spectral glow and banshee-like scream are unmistakable."

"You were saying?" Astrid demanded, looking firmly at Hiccup.

"Thank you, Fishlegs. Your extensive knowledge of the Flightmare is timely, if nothing else," Hiccup said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes as Fishlegs remained oblivious to the fact that he was doing anything but being helpful.

"I do fancy myself to be Berk's leading authority on the subject. Here's a few more fun facts," he went on after opening the Book of Dragons, "Legend has it that the Flightmare is so terrifying that it actually freezes its prey in their tracks."

' _They are also territorial over their prey_ ,' Snowfire added, looking rather smug when Fishlegs looked at her in surprise. Sometimes it paid to know a dragon who knew about other dragons, especially when said dragon was able to communicate telepathically.

"Yeah, just ask Frozen Finn Hofferson. Right, Astrid?" Snotlout sneered and laughed.

Astrid, who was standing next to him, narrowed her eyes, grabbed him and slammed him to the floor. She then placed the sole of her boot on Snotlout's face and pointed her axe at him. I couldn't help but wince at the sight, relieved not to be on the receiving end. Astrid had a temper that could easily match Snowfire's when she was pissed off.

"You think it's funny, Snotlout?" she demanded, glaring at him. "You think it's a joke that my family's name was ruined by that dragon?" Snotlout's look of amusement was replaced with a look of horror as he realized what Astrid was about to do.

"Well, I used to, just a couple of minutes ago," he admitted sheepishly, "But now, I see how it might be upsetting to you."

Then the twins chose that moment to arrive, pushing a cart full of food into the arena.

"Have you guys heard? The Flightmare is coming," said Tuffnut.

"Guys, we're really trying not to talk about," Jacob pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

"Hate to break it to you, but that's the only thing everyone's talking about," Ruffnut pointed out.

"Well, that and Astrid's uncle," added Tuffnut.

"Hey, a little sensitivity here," Snotlout said. He looked at Astrid with a hopeful expression. "Can I get up now?" he asked.

"Ugh, whatever," Astrid grumbled before approaching her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly. Stormfly squawked in concern before taking off, leaving us all behind. Hiccup turned and glared at the twins, who seemed oblivious to what just happened.

"So, thanks a lot, guys," he muttered crossly, voice dripping with sarcasm. Of course they failed to see his sarcasm.

"No problem!" Tuffnut said cheerfully. "If you don't need us anymore, we gotta get ready for the end of the world. See ya!"

"I don't understand what the big deal is," I said under my breath. "The Flightmare froze one person, it doesn't seem like that big of an issue to me."

' _The people of this world are very different from yours_ ,' Snowfire reminded me in a soothing tone. ' _Perhaps in time you will understand that honor is everything to a Viking_.'

She nudged me playfully after that, and I couldn't help but frown as I realized she was right. There were still so many things I had yet to learn about this world, and it made me feel even more out of place than ever. At least I wasn't alone. Jacob looked just as confused when Astrid was gone. Something told me that she was prepared to do anything to regain her honor, which would inevitably lead everyone else into a dangerous situation.

...

Later that evening, we sure enough found Astrid packing a bag full of supplies and attached it to Stormfly's saddle. Hiccup rounded up on Astrid from the other side of her house, followed closely by Toothless. She heard our footsteps before we were able to approach her.

"I don't want to hear it, Hiccup. I've waited my entire life for a chance to clear my family name, and you're not going to stop me now," she told them in a voice full of determination. If there was one thing I'd learned about Astrid, it was once her mind was made up, it was impossible to change.

' _Technically, you have been waiting for ten years_ ,' Snowfire hummed in amusement when Astrid spun around and looked at us in annoyance.

"Same thing," she grumbled and turned to look at Hiccup once more. "Anyways, is there anything I should know before facing that thing?" she asked.

"Okay, Astrid, I have to stop you. Look, nobody loves a new and terrifying dragon more than we do, but we need you guys here to protect Berk. If that thing does show up, it's going to take all of us to fight it off," Hiccup said, including me in the conversation.

I did love learning about new dragons. But somehow this felt different. The Flightmare wasn't a very well-known dragon. It was dangerous according to the Book of Dragons. Yet that's what everyone first thought of dragons. They weren't the dangerous beasts bent on destruction and war. Maybe the Flightmare would be different.

"Not if it never gets here. Come on, Hiccup. Don't tell me you and Alex haven't been dreaming about the Flightmare, going after it, learning about it and training it?" Astrid pressed on in a rather hopeful tone.

Actually, I never thought of doing that. I wasn't sure how far my abilities could extend. There were limits to what dragons I could bond with.

"I've never even heard of the Flightmare until recently," I replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"Well, you know, Astrid, training dragons isn't the only thing I think about," Hiccup added while trying to keep a straight face. Astrid looked at the both of us dubiously.

"Are you actually saying that to me with a straight face?" she asked, then she looked at me with narrowed eyes.

I just rolled my eyes and tried to shrug off the sudden awkward silence that followed. What with recent events, Hiccup and I haven't really been spending as much time together. I knew he was still annoyed that I hadn't told him the truth.

Fortunately, Fishlegs chose that moment to cut in. I held back a sigh of relief as the chubby Ingerman teen approached us. But judging from the look of disbelief Hiccup was giving him, he chose the worst time to join us.

"There you are, Hiccup. I did the research you asked for," he said cheerfully.

' _What kind of research would that be_?' Snowfire asked as she sniffed the papers he was holding curiously.

"Not now, Fishlegs," Hiccup told him softly, hoping Fishlegs would take the hint. Fishlegs didn't hear him and started reading from his notes and map.

"But I have the path of the Flightmare right on this map," he explained. "For generations, it's gone through the Northern Swamp on the way to the village." I eyed the map with interest, wondering where Hiccup was getting at with this plan of his.

"So it's basically on a set course," I said thoughtfully. Fishlegs nodded eagerly.

"Same route every time. If I could figure out why, we might be able to stop it," he informed us.

"Fishlegs, Astrid doesn't want to hear about the Flightmare," Hiccup tried reasoning with Fishlegs, getting worried by the excited look on Astrid's face.

"Of course she does," Fishlegs retorted.

"Sure, I do," Astrid added a bit more eagerly than I would've liked.

"See?" Fishlegs asked in a smug tone. I pinched the bridge of my nose while Hiccup sighed in frustration. Fishlegs continued speaking, despite the growing tension, "So, as I was saying, if you want to get close to it, you're going to have to be stealthy, virtually in the dark." Astrid's eyes lit up with an idea.

"Like a Night Fury?" she suggested.

"Exactly." Astrid chose that moment to climb on Toothless' back.

"So, when do we leave?" she asked determinedly.

' _There is no stopping that hatchling_ ,' Snowfire mused as she nudged my hand warily. ' _We should go as well_.'

"That's easier said than done, Snow," I sighed after realizing there was a point to being stealthy. "Your scales are kind of a dead give-away." Fishlegs frowned as he realized that I was right.

"Alex does have a valid point," he said nervously. "White Terrors aren't called white for nothing." Snowfire just rolled her eyes in annoyance before locking eyes with me.

' _You are not doing this without me_ ,' she said in a voice full of determination. I held back another sigh, knowing she was right. We did everything together, even if that meant risking our lives.

"You guys go on ahead, we'll keep an eye from the sky and use the clouds for cover," I told them.

"Just be careful." I think those words were more directed to Astrid than me. The look on her face told me this was one battle she refused to give up in.

...

Later that night, Aurvandil's Fire lit up the sky with a dazzling aurora, not bothering to see the beauty behind the lights and colors dancing across the sky. "Aurvandil's Fire is here!" shouted Gobber as the other Vikings sought out shelter. "Get to your homes and stay inside!" He then noticed Snotlout and Hookfang walking around as if nothing was happening. "Snotlout, did you not hear what I just said? Get that dragon into his cage, and you into yours."

"No way, if the Flightmare obliterates us all, then the last face I want to see besides my own, of course, is his," Snotlout retorted. He then noticed a couple of Vikings making their way towards the arena, talking to one another.

"Hurry up, before the emergency bunker is full," one of the Vikings said.

"Are you sure we can get in?" another asked. "I hear it's very exclusive."

"Don't worry, I know people," the first Viking reassured his friend. Snotlout's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Hey, what was that all about?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm surprised you didn't know," Gobber said thoughtfully. "Ruffnut and Tuffnut built an emergency bunker at the Academy."

"Emergency bunker, eh?" Snotlout said, then he looked at Hookfang gleefully. "What do you say we check it out?"

"I wouldn't waste your time," Gobber warned him. "It's been booked up for months."

"Hah, we'll see about that," Snotlout laughed.

...

Snotlout arrived at the arena only to find a line of Vikings waiting to get inside. But the twins were very particular about who they let inside.

"Okay, lots of people are gonna want to get into our awesome emergency bunker when the Flightmare attacks. So, we need to have a secret signal to know who's in and who's out," Tuffnut told his sister, who elbowed him in the arm.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Not bad, but I feel like there should be a few more steps to it," Tuffnut said. That's when Ruffnut started punching him in the face.

"What about that?" she asked while grinning at his expression.

"I like it," Tuffnut replied, enjoying the pain while rubbing his face. "You sure it's not too complicated?" Snotlout and Hookfang chose that moment to walk inside, but Tuffnut stopped them from getting any further. "Hey, hey, mister! Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"Uh, inside the emergency bunker," Snotlout replied.

"Are you on the list?" Tuffnut countered, smirking.

"List?" Snotlout scoffed arrogantly. Ruffnut then pulled out a sheet of paper and began looking at the long list of names.

"Let's see here… Snothat, Snotman, Snotnose… Nope, not on the list," she declared.

"Sorry, unless you're friends with Snotman," Tuffnut apologized, not looking apologetic at all.

"What do you mean, sorry?" Snotlout repeated, looking flabbergasted.

"This is a very exclusive bunker, my friend. We can't just let anyone in," Tuffnut explained. Gustav walked past them, waving his hand in greeting. "Hey, Gustav."

"Gustav?" Snotlout yelled. If the bunker was so exclusive, why were the twins letting Gustav of all people in?

"Bunker time, ha!" Gustav exclaimed after Ruffnut opened the caged door. He hi-fived the twins before walking inside.

"You're either in, or you're out, pal, but you can't stand here," Ruffnut said to him after closing the door shut.

Barf and Belch then growled at him. Snotlout just stared at them in disbelief, shocked that they wouldn't let their own friend into the bunker. Tuffnut walked over to him and decided to make a deal.

"Listen, you seem like a nice kid. I'll tell you what I'll do for you. If you want to get into the bunker, maybe you can find one of these," he explained and gave Snotlout a piece of paper.

Snotlout let out a groan after reading the paper that Tuffnut had given him. "Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me," he muttered crossly. The twins chuckled in response, knowing full well he had no choice. Snotlout sighed in frustration and gestured to Hookfang. "Ugh, fine. Come on, Hookfang."

Instead of following him like the 'loyal' dragon he was, Hookfang walked into the bunker with his head held high. Snotlout could only watch in disbelief, dumbstruck by what he was seeing.

"He's on the list," Ruffnut chuckled as she caught Snotlout's face.

"Ugh, last time I hold his face," he grumbled as he walked away.

...

Meanwhile, Toothless soared through the forest with Hiccup and Astrid. The Hofferson girl had left behind Stormfly in case the Flightmare attacked. Stormfly's presence would only draw the Flightmare's attention, which was the last thing we needed. Snowfire flew high above, keeping a keen eye on them as I struggled to follow their movement.

"Okay, we are going to observe the Flightmare, Astrid. We're going to see what we can learn from it, try to redirect it. If we can't, we're falling back to the village," Hiccup informed her. Amazing how even high in the sky we could still hear them. " _Understand_?" he added with more emphasis.

"Sure," Astrid said.

"Say the words, ' _I understand, Hiccup_ ,'" he repeated himself, sounding exasperated. Not that I didn't blame him. Astrid was stubborn, the true embodiment of a Viking.

"Fine, I understand," she replied in an unconvincing tone.

' _This is not going to end well, for anyone_ ,' Snowfire growled uneasily.

I only nodded in agreement. Astrid would do whatever it took to regain her family honor. If there was one thing I'd learned about her over the last couple of years, it was how determined she could be to get what she wanted.

"That's why we're watching from above," I reminded her. "If anything happens, we break in and distract the Flightmare long enough for them to get away." Snowfire wasn't too happy with that plan.

' _Why should you risk your life for them_?' she retorted. ' _She is a stubborn hatchling who fights for the one you care about_.' I winced at that, realizing that she did have a good point. ' _And you have been avoiding each other, lately_.'

"I'd rather not talk about that," I muttered under my breath, suddenly feeling very uneasy.

Soon a swamp came into view, followed by a banshee-like scream that sent shivers through me. This was nothing like Snowfire's roar. It reminded me of the screams you would hear in those horror movies about ghosts or demons. That was when I noticed the eerie glow of a dragon.

It had a large rounded head with a single horn jutting from it's snout, and huge wings that almost looked as if they had flames at the tip thanks to it's glow. The rest of it's body was lithe and agile looking, with a short tail that split out into thin tail-fins. In all, the Flightmare was amazing to look at. And terrifying at the same time. It really _was_ glowing a ghostly blue light that shimmered as it moved.

"It's beautiful," I admitted.

I was so busy admiring the light that I hadn't noticed Toothless lurching towards the ground down below. Snowfire was high enough that the light didn't blind her, much to my relief. And to make things worse, Astrid chose that moment to jump off of Toothless.

"Astrid, what are you doing?" Hiccup shouted as she landed on the ground and pulled out her axe.

I restrained myself from facepalming at her sheer stupidity. While it was great she wanted to restore her family's honor, this was just plain idiotic. Going after a dragon we knew next to nothing about was asking for trouble.

"What do you think I'm doing? Defending Berk and my family honor!" she shouted back before glaring at the Flightmare, showing no signs of fear. "We'll see who's a coward," she growled while gripping her axe tightly.

' _Of all the ignorant things that hatchling could do, this is by far the worst_!' Snowfire hissed with annoyance. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration as I knew where this would lead. Astrid ran towards the Flightmare and held her axe up high.

"Leave Berk now and never come back!" she shouted. "Here I am, ungodly beast, Fearless Astrid Hofferson! Come and get me if you dare!"

The Flightmare roared in defiance and dove towards her, clearly not happy at the fact that some random human would charge after it. The moment it's jaws opened was when I noticed a strange mist erupting from its mouth.

"Is that how the Flightmare takes down its prey?" I wondered out loud, realizing that this mist must be related to what Bork had meant by 'freezing' it's prey.

' _The mist it breathes has enough venom to paralyze its victim_ ,' Snowfire explained. I looked at her in surprise as she hummed at my expression. ' _I know more about my kind than you humans ever will_ ,' she added cheekily.

"And you just wanted us to figure all of this out on our own," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

' _Of course_ ,' she replied.

The moment Astrid had risen her axe was when the mist hit her like a wave. In seconds she was frozen on the spot, unable to move a muscle. It wasn't fear that had frozen her in place, and it wasn't fear that had frozen her uncle in place either.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled.

Snowfire fired an icy blast at the Flightmare just as it was ready to charge after them, distracting it enough for Hiccup to reach Astrid's side. I felt my stomach drop after realizing that she really wasn't moving. We didn't have time to dwell on it though as the Flightmare changed course and flew after us.

"Get Astrid out of here," I called over my shoulder, "we'll distract it!"

Hiccup used our distraction as a chance to grab Astrid and get away. The Flightmare roared in confusion as it noticed two Riders circling it. Snowfire dove into a cloud that she used for cover, and the banshee-like roar that followed made my ears ring.

' _That sound is worse than the obnoxious hatchling's laughter_ ,' Snowfire hissed through gritted teeth. I was about to ask which one when I noticed Hiccup and Toothless were following us. Luckily we had lost the Flightmare before it could make things worse. Once we were out of the dragon's sight, we landed.

"Astrid!" Hiccup exclaimed once Astrid had shown signs of movement.

"What-What happened?" she asked, looking around in surprise.

"The Flightmare sprayed you with some kind of mist. It paralyzed you," Hiccup explained, sounding relieved that she was okay. He was holding her close, as if afraid the same thing might happen again.

"Well, Snow just told me that the Flightmare uses that mist to catch it's prey," I added with a shrug, earning looks of surprise from them both. "She doesn't tell me everything she knows," I added, giving her an accusing look. She just narrowed her eyes in response.

"Well, I-I guess the good news is the effects are only temporary, just long enough for it to strike," Hiccup said, still sounding a little shaken over what just happened. Astrid, clearly looking better from when the Flightmare first paralyzed her, suddenly felt even better after realizing that her uncle's name was cleared after this discovery.

"I knew my uncle wasn't afraid of that dragon. He was paralyzed by it," she said. Suddenly the Flightmare's banshee-like cry echoed throughout the land. "And let me guess, we're falling back into town?" she asked warily, looking at Hiccup, who surprised us both by shaking his head.

"We're going after it, aren't we?" I asked. Hiccup nodded in agreement as the situation suddenly got serious.

"We are the only things standing between Berk and that dragon," he explained.

' _You are not going to kill it_ ,' Snowfire growled in a warning tone. Once again, Hiccup agreed with her.

"No, we're not going to kill it," he reassured her. "But we are going to fight it in order to keep it away from the village."

"Yes!" Astrid fist-pumped the air as we mounted our dragons and took off. That was when I noticed something unusual.

"Uh, Hiccup, Astrid, you might want to see this," I shouted, pointing down to something below us. Looking down, Hiccup and Astrid saw what I was pointing at, and their eyes widened in amazement.

"What in the name of Thor?"

...

Snotlout knocked on the emergency bunker door. Tuffnut slid open the panel and peered through it. "Hey, what's the password?" the male Thorston twin asked him.

"I'm gonna break your face!" Snotlout threatened him.

"Close enough," Tuffnut shrugged as he and Ruffnut opened the door and stepped out of the bunker.

"I got what you asked for," Snotlout announced, holding up a rainbow colored chicken. Tuffnut was extremely impressed, rubbing his chin as he eyed the chicken in wonder.

"It's real… I totally thought I dreamed of it." Of course, Tuffnut would never know that the chicken was actually a brown chicken Snotlout had painted.

"So, let me in," he pleaded impatiently. Ruffnut smiled mischievously, wanting a bit more fun with the obnoxious Jorgenson boy.

"Oh, did we say one rainbow colored chicken? We meant two rainbow colored chickens, sorry," she said cheekily.

"Oh, that's why I brought a spare," Snotlout cut in, holding up another rainbow colored chicken. "Now, let me in. The Flightmare will be here any minute." Snotlout looked inside to see that the other Vikings were eating away and drinking. His triumphant smirk turned to a frown when he saw Hookfang enjoying himself as well.

"Okay, you're halfway there," Tuffnut said, pushing him away from the bunker.

"What? Halfway?" Snotlout repeated in confusion.

"We have a few more things for you to get before we can let you in, buddy. Sorry," Ruffnut added, giving him a list. Snotlout dropped the chicken and grabbed the list, reading it after grumbling under his breath.

"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned.

"Look closely at my face," Tuffnut said, and Snotlout did just that.

"But don't look too closely at his face, cause you might go blind," Ruffnut added. Tuffnut elbowed her in the arm and looked straight at Snotlout.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" he asked. Snotlout was ready to answer when he smelled something delicious.

"Oh, that wouldn't be yogurt parfait I smell, would it?" he asked hopefully.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Tuffnut said as he and Ruffnut returned to the bunker and slammed the door in front of his face.

...

Fishlegs was at his house, studying the map while Meatlug happily ate some rocks. He was trying to understand the patterns revolving around the Flightmare's route. He had a ton of books and scrolls scattered across his desk and he had read through it all, but none of this made any sense.

"Why does the Flightmare always take the same route into Berk?" he asked himself. "It always follows the stream to the northern swamp into the village. But why does it follow the water? What is it about that stream?" While he was pacing, Meatlug was eating rocks very loudly which was starting to annoy him. "How can you eat at a time like this?" he asked. Meatlug just looked at him while eating the rocks, and that gave Fishlegs an idea. "Wait, that's it! Meatlug, you're a genius!"

...

"Glowing algae," Hiccup said after inspecting the stream in question.

The stream was directly connected to the northern swamp that led straight through Berk. It actually would be beautiful, had it not been for the situation we were in. We'd flown by this stream several times before, but it had never glowed a ghostly blue like this.

"You know, I remember reading something about this in our world," I murmured thoughtfully, earning looks of surprise from Hiccup and Astrid. "There's something in the algae that causes it to glow… it's like a chemical reaction or something like that."

"Actually, as far-fetched as that sounds, it makes sense," Hiccup said after giving my theory some thought. "The glow must be some sort of reaction to Aurvandil's Fire. That must be what the Flightmare is following. That's why it always takes the same path to the village."

' _And you hatchlings thought it was attacking for no reason_ ,' Snowfire hummed.

"Sorry Snow," I apologized after realizing she was right. "Sometimes it's better to figure things out than rush into it."

"I'm not getting it," Astrid said, tilting her head in confusion.

"You ever get between a bowl of mutton and Snotlout?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, that's something you only do once," she replied after giving it some thought. The Flightmare suddenly roared, and we hid up in a tree to watch it. I peered through a branch to see that the Flightmare was eating the algae rather than going after us. "I get it. The Flightmare thinks we want its food," Astrid realized out loud.

"The algae explains why it has that ghostly glow," I added as the Flightmare's body glowed brighter than ever.

That was when the Flightmare noticed us hiding in the tree. I stiffened as it flew up and hovered in front of us. It's glow was getting brighter by the second, and it's eyes were locked on mine. For a moment, it felt like I was frozen on the spot until it suddenly roared at us.

"And speaking of threats…" Astrid whispered, nudging Hiccup from his thoughts.

"Quick, we need to get Toothless and Snowfire up in the air so we can hide," Hiccup said worriedly.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen," Astrid cut in, gesturing to Snowfire and Toothless.

Only when someone tapped my shoulder did I blink out of my trance. I looked at Astrid and Hiccup warily after realizing that both Toothless and Snowfire were drinking from the stream. "Toothless!" Hiccup groaned in disbelief after realizing what his best dragon friend was doing.

"Snow," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. Toothless had yelped with shock as his body began to glow bright blue, while Snowfire's scales turned a dark shade of purple. Huh, if it wasn't for the situation, I would've thought they both looked pretty cool with that glow.

' _We were thirsty_ ,' Snowfire grumbled.

The Flightmare noticed Toothless and Snowfire were glowing and let out a furious roar. Of course it wouldn't be happy knowing someone had taken its source of food. I would be too. Without a second thought I rushed over to Snowfire and hopped into her saddle, Hiccup and Astrid doing the same with Toothless. Once we took off, the Flightmare gave chase.

"It's right behind us!" Hiccup said after looking over his shoulder.

"What do we do?" Astrid asked anxiously.

' _Hide in the clouds_!' Snowfire suggested, using her old technique in hiding from enemies.

On any normal occasion, that trick would have worked. However, their glowing bodies didn't help. In fact, the Flightmare was easily able to pick us off when it spotted them in the clouds. That fact was proven as we tried figuring out whether or not we lost it.

"Did we lose it?" Astrid asked. Just then the Flightmare hovered right in front of us.

"Nope," Hiccup replied. Toothless tried to get away, but the Flightmare blocked their path. Once again, it's eyes were trained on me. I was so transfixed by it's stare that I hadn't noticed how much brighter it was glowing, until Toothless shook his head in frustration. The glow was so bright that it had blinded all of us temporarily. It was enough to make both Toothless and Snowfire throw us off in shock. My heart nearly skipped a beat when we hit the ground, hard. Toothless and Snowfire were still in the air, looking around in confusion after realizing what had happened. The Flightmare was flying right towards them while releasing a paralyzing mist. "Toothless, roll!" Hiccup shouted.

"Snowfire, dodge!" I cried in alarm. Toothless rolled to the side while Snowfire dove to avoid the mist in question. Once out of harm's way, Toothless fired several plasma blasts that the Flightmare was easily able to dodge. The plasma blasts were enough to deter the Flightmare from attacking again, and it chose instead to flee before things got any worse. "What happened to not hurting it?" I demanded as Snowfire returned to my side.

' _I will not let it harm my Rider_ ,' she growled defiantly.

We looked up in time to see the Flightmare hovering above us again. The Flightmare let out another banshee-like shriek before preparing itself to attack.

"Hey!" Astrid yelled, catching the Flightmare's attention by throwing a branch at it. The Flightmare turned and noticed that she was holding her axe, hands gripped tightly around the wooden handle. The Flightmare dove after her, but Astrid dodged out of the way just in time. The Flightmare spun around and charged after her, ready to fire a paralyzing mist. We'd finally gotten on our dragons until noticing what Astrid was doing.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted as Toothless flew ahead. Astrid jumped and landed on Toothless just as the Flightmare was ready to fire it's paralyzing mist. The five of us flew up into the air and tried to find a place to hide.

"Guys, look!" Astrid exclaimed in surprise.

Ahead of us was a cave big enough for Toothless and Snowfire to fit in. Once we were inside, the Flightmare flew past without noticing us. I let out a sigh of relief once we were sure the Flightmare was gone and left the cave, watching it fly off in the distance. At that moment, Toothless and Snowfire's scales returned to normal.

' _It is about time_ ,' Snowfire huffed once it was safe.

"At least the glow wears off," Hiccup added in agreement. "Toothless, sky!"

"Snow, you know what to do." The two of them flew up high in the sky where the Flightmare had gone, following it closely while it made its way towards Berk.

"Okay, how do we stop the Flightmare before it reaches the village?" Astrid asked.

"We could always try training it," I suggested with a shrug, earning looks of surprise from them both. "Just a random thought." I thought back to the way the Flightmare had stared at me. Something told me that the Flightmare was interested in more than just making new friends.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup randomly said the name, and I rose an eyebrow until noticing said Rider approaching us with Meatlug and Stormfly.

"How's he going to help us?" Astrid asked, not seeing them flying from behind.

"By bringing you some reinforcements," he replied, causing Astrid to turn in surprise. Her eyes widened with happiness when she saw Stormfly flying alongside Meatlug.

"Stormfly!" she cried before jumping onto the Deadly Nadder's back. "Good to see you, girl!" Stormfly squawked happily in agreement.

"Fishlegs, the Academy is supposed to be on lock-down," Hiccup reminded the chubby Ingerman boy.

"I know, but I was following the stream because I think I figured out a way to stop the Flightmare from reaching the village," Fishlegs explained and pointed at something. We followed his finger and noticed that there was a meander in the river close to a cliff near the sea.

"We cut a new channel for the river," Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"And divert the flow of glowing algae out to sea," I finished, understanding Fishlegs' plan.

"Exactly!" Fishlegs said, beaming with pride that he was the one who discovered this information.

"Toothless, Snowfire, Stormfly, Meatlug, it's time to do a little emergency landscaping," Hiccup said.

"My favorite job," I said under my breath as we flew off towards the stream.

...

Snotlout was returning to the arena with a cart full of all the items Tuffnut and Ruffnut had on their list. He sat down and waited as the twins inspected his cart, checking off every item they could find.

"Yak head, check. Yak body, check. Sheep dip, check. Bread for the sheep dip, check, gotta have that. Lingonberry smoothie, shaken, not stirred, check." Tuffnut stopped himself when he noticed something was off in the cart. "Hold on, nobody move."

"I don't see it," said Ruffnut.

"Me neither," Tuffnut added.

"What? See what?" Snotlout asked anxiously, getting more than tired of this wild goose chase.

"A sturgeon dressed like Stoick," the twins said at the same time. Snotlout pulled out a sturgeon wearing a helmet similar to Stoick's, and a belt around it's body.

"Ah-ha! That's everything! Now let me in!" Snotlout told them triumphantly. Tuffnut just looked at him mischievously.

"We would love to, Snotlout, really. But you forgot the most important thing on the list," he said. Ruffnut grinned in agreement.

"Singing Terrible Terror!" they both said.

"What? Give me that!" Snotlout snatched the list from their hands and read it carefully. His eyes widened in disbelief when he realized the new words were written in fresh green ink, different from the rest of the words. "You just wrote this in!" he exclaimed.

"No we did not!" Tuffnut retorted.

"Yes you did! It's in a different colored ink!" Snotlout pointed out, waving the list in front of their faces.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ruffnut denied, not bothering to clean her ink-stained fingers. Snotlout was fuming as Tuffnut reprimanded him.

"Arguing with bunker management can result in permanent banishment," he said. "And that's a lot of words," he dded before the twins returned to their bunker, leaving Snotlout alone once again.

Finally, Snotlout saw that he had no choice. He grumbled under his breath as he left the Academy.

...

We were still following the Flightmare down the stream.

"A living Flightmare," Fishlegs gasped in awe. "It's-It's-It's—"

"It's mine!" Astrid exclaimed.

She then had Stormfly fly in front of the Flightmare, blocking it's path before Stormfly let out a stream of fire. For a moment, I was tempted to rush in and help when I remembered why she was doing this. Her family's honor meant everything to her, and this was just another way of proving that.

"Okay, bud. Time to do what we came here for," Hiccup said once they reached the river meander.

Toothless began firing plasma blasts at the ground, while Snowfire did the same. Each shot of fire she let loose was abruptly cut off with a blast of ice. Meatlug joined in too and fired lava rocks at the river to block it's flow and create a new path.

Meanwhile, Astrid and Stormfly were locked in combat with the Flightmare. The two of them worked together to doge it's paralyzing mist while we worked on finishing the new channel for the river. That was when the Flightmare chose to focus on Fishlegs as he encouraged Meatlug.

"That-a girl, Meatlug!" he cheered before he was suddenly sprayed with a mist. Meatlug roared in alarm as her Rider was suddenly turned into a frozen statue and fell off her back.

"Hiccup, the Flightmare got Fishlegs!" I shouted in alarm. Quickly we all flew down to assist the bulky duo. The Flightmare was about to attack Fishlegs when Snowfire and Stormfly blocked his path. Toothless grabbed Fishlegs once the path was clear.

Once they were safe away from the Flightmare, Toothless dropped Fishlegs on Meatlug's back. At that moment, the paralyzing effect on Fishlegs wore off.

"Ugh, what just happened to me?" Fishlegs groaned.

"The Flightmare, it's mist temporarily paralyzed you," Hiccup explained.

"Thank Thor. I need my legs. They're in my name, after all," Fishlegs sighed in relief.

Astrid and I worked together to fight off the Flightmare while Hiccup and Fishlegs finished the new channel. Snowfire let out a screech loud enough to stun the Flightmare so that Stormfly could fire her spines at it, but the Flightmare dodged and managed to knock Astrid off with it's tail. I rolled my eyes when it began to chase after her, and Snowfire blocked it's path.

' _There seems to be no end to this beast_ ,' Snowfire muttered as Astrid managed to jump on Toothless' back. Just when we thought it had given up, the Flightmare went back to guarding the river as it chose Hiccup and Fishlegs as it's next targets.

"Look out!" Astrid warned them. Soon Stormfly and Snowfire joined them once the Flightmare had returned to a defensive position by the river.

"Okay, guys, we need to keep cutting that channel," Hiccup said until noticing the Flightmare glaring at us. "But the Flightmare is guarding it."

"I think I have a way of distracting it," Astrid said and jumped back onto Stormfly's back. "The algae. Let's give the Flightmare a taste of its own medicine."

"Astrid, lead the way," I said, hoping that she really did have a good plan. With Stormfly on point, we flew down to the glowing river. "Eat up, guys."

Snowfire did just that, happy to oblige as her scales began glowing a dark shade of purple. Surprisingly, Meatlug looked good as her brown and orange body turned green. Stormfly's scales were glowing bright yellow, making her stand out most of all.

"I always knew that was her color," Fishlegs said happily. "We're going to knit you a matching blanket when we get home, Meatlug." The Gronckle happily wagged her tail and growled in agreement.

"Okay, it's time to see who the real coward is," Astrid said.

As we zeroed in on the Flightmare, it spotted us with ease. The Flightmare let out a furious roar and turned to face us. But before it could do that, the combined attack of Snowfire, Toothless, Stormfly and Meatlug's glow blinded it temporarily. The Flightmare tried getting away, but they blocked it's path, and soon it crashed to the ground.

"Toothless, let's finish off that channel," Hiccup said.

We did just that, and Toothless fired a plasma blast at the end of the channel. The plasma blast was enough to make the earth crumble away, finishing the new channel and the river along with the glowing algae went out to sea.

The Flightmare got up, noticing that it's precious glowing algae was moving in a different direction, went after it. I let out a sigh of relief once it was gone.

"Yes, we did it!" Astrid shouted with glee.

' _Indeed you have, hatchling,_ ' Snowfire suddenly added, earning a look of surprise from Astrid.

"Now let's go home before anyone else in the village knows we're gone," Hiccup said.

I nodded in agreement, all too happy to return to the village.

...

Back at the village, it was easy to see that every villager had locked themselves inside their houses. Gobber was supposed to be manning the catapult while keeping an eye out for the Flightmare, but now, he was asleep on his feet, both the real one and the peg leg one. Stoick had no choice but to cover for him until spotting four glowing shapes in the sky approaching the village.

"Gobber!" Stoick alerted the sleeping blacksmith.

"Oh, that yak butters my mouth," Gobber sighed sleepily.

"Wake up!" Stoick said urgently, startling his friend awake into firing a catapult round.

"Sorry, Stoick, I had this dream that you and I were…" Gobber stopped himself short when Stoick glared at him.

"Not another word. Sound the alarm. The Flightmare is coming," Stoick told him seriously. While Stoick dashed into the middle of town, Gobber blew the warning horn and warned any other villagers to get into their homes, quick.

"Thor's hammer, there's more than one of them!" Stoick gasped, readying his sword. Gobber looked up and narrowed his eyes as realization dawned on him.

"Wait, Stoick! Those aren't Flightmares!" he announced.

Sure enough, they noticed the familiar shapes of Snowfire, Stormfly, Toothless and Meatlug approaching the village. Only something was different this time. The dragons were all glowing an eerie color, similar to the Flightmare.

"Did we miss anything?" Alex asked once they landed in the village plaza.

Gobber took one look at the dragons and said, "Hiccup, Alex, slap me in the face. Your dragons are glowing. I must be dreaming."

"You aren't dreaming," Alex reassured him cheekily.

"It's a long story," Hiccup said as they all got of their dragons. "The good news is, we drove the Flightmare away."

"You did?" Stoick asked in surprise and placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Well done, Hiccup. Well done." He then turned and faced the houses. "Everyone! You can come out of your homes! The Flightmare is gone for good!"

Everyone did just that, looking at Hiccup and the other Riders in surprise.

"Excuse me, I have an announcement to make," Hiccup announced once everyone had quieted down. "We learned a lot about the Flightmare tonight. And I'll explain it all to you. But the most important thing we have learned tonight was that Fearless Finn Hofferson was indeed fearless, just like all the Hoffersons." At the last part, he smiled at Astrid, who only grinned back.

"Sounds like you did your uncle proud, lass," Gobber said.

"Now we can just enjoy Aurvandil's Fire," Stoick added. Astrid then walked over to Hiccup, a sly smile still on her face.

"Thank you, for everything," she whispered before giving him a quick kiss.

Astrid hadn't noticed the stern look Jacob gave her when he emerged from the crowd with Sniper. Apparently they had been hiding from the Flightmare with Jessica, keeping her company the whole time. He didn't miss the look on Alex's face either. This was not going to end well for anyone.

...

Snowfire landed on a sea stack after breaking away from the crowd. Everyone was busy admiring the lights of Aurvandil's Fire to notice our disappearance. I needed to get away after all of that. Between the Flightmare showing signs of interest, and… that kiss, I just couldn't stand being around anyone. Luckily Snowfire was all too willing to oblige.

' _You are not happy_ ,' she crooned after noticing my expression.

"Well, can you blame me?" I deadpanned, glaring at the ocean raging below. I remembered at one point in my life when my father was still alive, I had considered just ending it. I was so miserable at that time that ending my life just seemed like the easy way out.

' _No… but perhaps it is best not to dwell on what is happening now_ ,' she said. ' _You care about that hatchling_.'

I winced at that and wrapped my arms around my legs. Just as I did that, the familiar roar of a Monstrous Nightmare made me look up in surprise. Sure enough I saw Sniper flying towards us, with Jacob of course.

"I thought I might find you here," he said once Sniper had landed. "What are you doing out here alone?" I rolled my eyes and glanced at Snowfire, whose own eyes were narrowed.

"I'm not alone," I muttered crossly. "And I just needed to get away." He didn't look convinced by that.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure that's all you needed to do," he said playfully. "Tell me this isn't about what happened back there?" I looked at Jacob in surprise.

"And just what exactly _did_ happen?" I asked warily.

"Alex, I know you," Jacob replied, his voice suddenly serious. "I know when something's upsetting you, and clearly, that something has to do with what happened."

' _Speaking your mind will help_ ,' Snowfire added. I held back a sigh and leaned against her, realizing she did have a good point.

"Do you think I should tell him the truth?" I asked. "I'm just so worried about how they'll react once they find out… and how they'll treat me."

"Well, if he really does care about you, then he'll accept you no matter what," Jacob said thoughtfully. "As for the others… I'm pretty sure if they find out, they'll end up trying to find your father and send him to Helheim."

I smirked as I imagined what that would look like. True to Viking nature, I'm sure that Jacob was right. Stoick didn't take too kindly to abuse, especially when it involved his own people. Doubt clouded my mind as I began to wonder whether telling Hiccup was a good idea. I often thought of the different scenarios running through my mind. Each of them ended in disaster. So for now, I would keep it a secret between the two of us. There was no way I was ready for whatever future lay ahead.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was so much fun to write! Though I'll admit, it took forever. I'm probably not going to be posting any new chapters for a while, since it is taking so darn long to finish them. But I will finish this story, that much I can promise.**

 **TheSilentFury - Ah yes, relationship problems always seem to happen, especially for younger couples. And poor Alex is only just beginning to realize that. As for Dagur, I've got big plans for his appearance... but I'm not giving away too much information :P**

 **J. - Thank you! When I first wrote this story, I wasn't even sure how to include Alex into the movies, or shows. But after writing the first story, I realized I could do so much more with her characters, and others that were introduced in the original. I'm just really glad that people don't see her as a Mary-Sue, because that's one of my biggest worries D:**


	39. Worst In Show

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

" _You ain't never heard nothin' like this, let me work, show me where the mic is I'm on stage, black shirt, and my Tims, you know how I do it, I ain't playin' with you, I've been grindin', anybody tryin' to sleep on me Better do somethin' with your eyelids, I hear a lot of whinin', but I don't hear a lot of rhymin', woo..._ " - Grindin', NF FT Marty

* * *

The eight Dragon Riders were doing some training on the sea stacks around Berk. Today's agenda included one of the following: Hostage Rescuing.

A boat with a life-sized dummy was drifting off to sea. Our job as both dragon and Rider was to rescue the hostage using all the techniques we had learned from our past training sessions.

With a sundial to help him record the time of each rescuer, Fishlegs gave the signal to go for Hookfang and Snotlout. The Monstrous Nightmare in question lifted off the ground, did two mid-air loops before going into a power dive. Snotlout immediately reached out with his arms and grabbed the dummy before Hookfang flew away. "Yes, Hookfang! Victory loop!" Snotlout cheered triumphantly. Hookfang proceeded to follow his Rider's success with a few tricks.

"Not a bad time," I admitted after looking at the sundial. Hiccup sat beside Astrid as he nodded in agreement, peering over Fishlegs' shoulder to look at the sundial.

"You know, I hate to admit it, but… Snotlout actually looks like he's worked on his rescue training," he added. Snotlout and Hookfang had done everything right up until then. They had done a victory loop, and of course Hookfang dove right into the sea with the hostage.

"Uh… let's not get ahead of ourselves," Astrid pointed out.

The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, were leaning forward in excitement as they watched Hookfang emerge from the water. The dummy Viking banged off the rocky surface of the sea stack, before landing in front of the rest of us. "Another victim saved," he said, soaking wet and grinning triumphantly. Then the dummy's head promptly fell off, making Snotlout yelp in surprise and toss that to the ground too.

' _More like you maimed it_ ,' Snowfire chided, looking at the disappointed Jorgenson in amusement.

"Shut up. What's the big deal? So his head fell off. It's not like he's on fire," Snotlout pointed out. Hookfang decided to prove Snotlout wrong at that moment and set the dummy on fire, then jumped up and down on it. Gotta love Hookfang's sense of humor.

Next up was Astrid. Stormfly shot up immediately and fired spine after spine so that she could climb up the rock. I was amazed at how much faster Stormfly had gotten over the last few months. Her agility almost matched Toothless', and that was saying something. Once Astrid had reached the top, everyone gawked at her in amazement.

"Great work, Astrid," Hiccup praised her.

"'Great work'? Try lame work," Snotlout scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Hello? Flying dragon. Might be a little quicker to get to the top of the sea stack."

"What if your victim is trapped on the side of the cliff and your dragon can't get close enough? You ever think of that?" Astrid deadpanned.

' _Since when has he ever thought of anything but himself_?' Snowfire hummed in amusement as Snotlout glared at her.

"Yes, no… Shut up, you two!" Snotlout groaned. Snowfire did have a good point. I couldn't think of a time when Snotlout had ever thought of anyone other than himself or Hookfang. Then again I hardly spent any time with him unless it was forced.

"You know, telling people to 'shut up' is really not the best comeback," I pointed out, earning another glare from Snotlout.

"Okay… so, uh, Fishlegs, you're next," Hiccup said after shaking his head.

Fishlegs nodded and gave Meatlug a hand signal. She flew straight up and hovered when she was about ten feet in the air.

"I call this, the stop, drop…" Fishlegs began, then Meatlug began to fall right above Snotlout and Hookfang. Hookfang flew out of the way in time, but Snotlout was thrown off and looked up seeing Meatlug flying towards him.

"Oh, no!" Snotlout screamed as Meatlug's big bulbous tail came into view. That's when Meatlug stopped falling and just hovered in place, just inches from squishing Snotlout's face.

"And hover," Fishlegs finished.

"I like it, Fishlegs," Hiccup said, impressed.

"Look like you've been improving," I added with a nod. Snotlout, having barely escaped getting flattened by Meatlug, glared.

"Oh, come on! That's not rescuing! That's falling!" he complained.

"Actually, _this_ is falling," Fishlegs said with a mischievous grin, having Meatlug drop right on top of Snotlout. Even Snowfire and Toothless winced at that.

' _That has to hurt_ ,' Snowfire said. Snotlout raised his arm – the only limb that was free of Meatlug's hold.

"Hookfang, rescue!" was all he could say, only for Hookfang to fly away and leave him. "Thank you!" he sighed sarcastically after realizing Hookfang was gone.

' _It is a shame he cannot stay in that position_ ,' Snowfire hummed as I helped him up. Snotlout let out a sigh of relief as Hiccup turned and looked at the twins.

"Okay, guys, you wanna show me your rescue skill?" he asked.

"Sure!" Tuffnut said in a voice full of pride, then he and Ruffnut gripped Barf and Belch's horns and put on their serious faces.

We all watched the twins carefully. Lately Ruff and Tuff had been working on their flying skills, so it would be interesting to see just how much better they had gotten. But while they had on their 'serious' faces, they made no move whatsoever. I only crossed my arms as they refused to budge.

"So… let's see it," Hiccup tried encouraging them.

"Uh, Ruff, Tuff?" I started, snapping my fingers to get them moving.

"Uh, you are seeing it," Tuffnut said.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ruffnut added.

' _What exactly_ are _they doing_?' Snowfire asked incredulously.

"Beats me," I replied with a shrug.

"Our rescue skill is _not_ falling off the sea stack! That way no rescue is necessary," Tuffnut explained.

"Ta-da!" Ruffnut said grandly, throwing her arms out as if to make some display while unintentionally smacking her brother's nose. I nearly facepalmed when Tuffnut landed in the sea, screaming the whole time. "We're still working out the kinks," Ruffnut admitted sheepishly.

With that thought in mind, I decided to demonstrate our own rescue technique. Snowfire made the perfect ally when it came to rescuing. With her ability to breath ice and fire, and control the temperature around her, it made rescuing that much easier.

Snowfire dove after Tuffnut, who was currently doggy-paddling in the waves. Meanwhile Hiccup and the rest of the gang were watching in amazement as Snowfire hovered just above the waves while I reached forward and grabbed Tuffnut, waiting to make sure that he was secure.

"Wow, cool trick," Tuffnut said.

"Thanks, we've been working on all sorts of techniques," I explained sheepishly.

' _And not all of them have ended well_ ,' Snowfire added, smirking in amusement as I rolled my eyes.

"Only some of them ended in disaster," I retorted as we landed. "Besides, it's better to learn from your mistakes, right?"

' _Whatever you say_ ,' Snowfire said with a roll of her eyes.

Finally, it was time for Hiccup and Toothless to end the day with their rescuing trick. Set up on some rocks nearby were three wooden Outcast targets. And Hiccup and Toothless were getting ready to fire plasma blasts at the targets.

"Barrel roll! Multiple blasts!" Hiccup shouted as they took off, Toothless performing a barrel roll and firing several plasma blasts. Each plasma blast fired at all of the targets, which blasted them with ease. Toothless was really pleased with himself and crooned while Hiccup patted him on the head.

"Not bad," I said while crossing my arms and leaning against Snowfire.

"Wow," Astrid, Fishlegs and the others all breathed out. Only Snotlout wasn't impressed.

"Stop oohing! That's not even a rescue skill!" the Jorgenson boy complained.

"Of course it is! You always need cover fire during a rescue. _Everyone_ knows that. Pretty impressive, Hiccup," Fishlegs chided Snotlout before directing his praise to Hiccup.

"Hey, Fishlegs, you need help getting your nose out of Hiccup's—" Snotlout was cut off when Snowfire suddenly swiped her scythe-like tail across his face.

This wasn't going to end well. Snotlout and Fishlegs were constantly at each other's throat when it came to brain versus brawn. By now I'd gotten used to dealing with their constant arguments. However, this time, Fishlegs remained calm as he looked at Snotlout.

"It's okay, Hiccup. He's just mad because he's dead last in the rescue competition. But, what else is new?" Fishlegs asked in a confidence voice. Hiccup only looked increasingly nervous as he guessed where this was headed.

I only rolled my eyes and waited for the full-blown argument to start. When it came to training, everything seemed to end in one big competition.

"Uh, guys, this isn't a competition," Hiccup tried to cease the fighting, only for Tuffnut to say that it _was_ a competition. What surprised everyone the most was what Ruffnut said next.

"You know; they say that competition is the very essence of life itself."

' _Since when did you turn into a philosopher_?' Snowfire asked. Then Astrid chose to break the awkward silence.

"It's true. Weird that she said it like that, but it's true. It's always a competition," Astrid said, agreeing with Ruffnut. Which surprised me even more. Hiccup only shook his head in frustration. Whatever was going on, I wanted no part in it.

"How many times must we remind you that training is not a competition?" I groaned in annoyance.

"Alex is right, we train together to defend Berk and the dragons," Hiccup said in agreement. "We're a team. Everyone has a role. No one person is better than the other, or more important."

Instead, everyone ignored our speeches and just started laughing. I only rolled my eyes at that, having already realized they would laugh.

"You don't really buy that, do you?" Snotlout asked, snorting with laughter.

"We do, actually. Yes! Wait, do you all feel the way Snotlout does?" Hiccup asked in disbelief. Honestly, I was really not all that surprised by this.

"Uh, Hiccup, you ride a Night Fury. And Alex rides a White Terror, two of the most dangerous dragons who can fly at top speed, accuracy, and well, everything," Fishlegs pointed out, making Meatlug coo in confusion, clearly upset by what her Rider had said. "No offense, girl," he added reassuringly.

"You wanna know what I think?" asked Snotlout eagerly.

"No!" everyone said together, but of course he still went on anyways.

"I think we'll never know who the best Dragon Trainer is because we don't have a level playing field," he explained cheekily.

Snowfire just narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out what Snotlout meant by that. Even I was curious as to where Snotlout was getting at.

"Hang on a second… what if we did have a level playing field? What if we could prove once and for all who's got the skills and who doesn't?" Fishlegs asked.

"Trust me, Fishlegs, you don't want that," Snotlout replied.

"Oh, I think we do," Fishlegs retorted, confidence brimming as he thought of ways he could best this competition.

' _These humans are so petty_ ,' Snowfire muttered with a roll of her eyes.

I could only nod in agreement at that. This competition wouldn't get them anywhere. It scared me to think of just how far these people were willing to go just to get ahead of the game.

...

Later that day, at the Berk Dragon Academy, Fishlegs revealed to everyone else, including Jacob as he joined us, what sort of competition he had in mind. Opening the crate, he revealed eight Terrible Terrors all in assorted colors.

"Terrible Terrors? _This_ is your level playing field?" Snotlout asked incredulously.

"As a matter of fact, yes. We'll all choose a Terrible Terror and have a day to train it," Fishlegs explained. "And then we'll find out who's best."

Snotlout only laughed at that, to the point where there were tears at the edge of his vision. I only crossed my arms and glared at him. Sometimes he needed the snot beaten out of him, and this was one of those times.

"Oh, man. I can't keep a straight face," Snotlout said after catching his breath.

"I fail to see your humor, Snotlout," Fishlegs said, his eyes narrowing with frustration. Hiccup tried and failed once again to calm them down.

"Okay you guys, the-the point of all of this is—" Hiccup tried to intervene once again, but not for the first time his attempts were ignored.

"They really don't know when to quit, do they?" I asked under my breath.

"It's just as bad as high school," Jacob added with a shrug. "Worse even. But I guess that's how Vikings are."

' _They are always eager to prove themselves_ ,' Snowfire added with a hum of amusement.

"You don't have a chance to win this, Fishlegs. And you wanna know why? Because there are readers and there are doers. And while you've got your nose buried in the Book of Dragons, I'm out here kicking names and taking butts!" Snotlout boasted. Jacob and I exchanged bewildered looks.

Was it just me, or did Snotlout sound more stupid than ever? I wasn't sure. Knowing him that was a very high possibility, and right now he was beginning to make the twins look intelligent, and that was saying something.

"I think you meant that the other way around," Astrid corrected him.

"Shut up, Astrid," Snotlout muttered after trying to correct himself.

' _You know, there's a point where this just gets ridiculous_ ,' Snowfire said with a roll of her eyes.

I only nodded in agreement as Hiccup tried for the umpteenth time to get between Snotlout and Fishlegs. Once again he was pushed aside as Fishlegs made things worse.

"I'll tell you what, Snotlout, you're so confident in your Dragon Training superiority… why don't we make this interesting?" Fishlegs offered, smiling devilishly.

Okay, now I knew that things weren't going to end well when Fishlegs made that gesture.

"I'm all ears!" Snotlout retorted after scoffing in annoyance. I think he was more annoyed that Fishlegs came up with the idea rather than himself.

"Loser's clean the winner's stall… for one month," Fishlegs explained.

"Done!" Snotlout replied almost instantly while the twins and even Astrid agreed. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering just what had gotten into their heads lately. This was like watching one of those reality TV shows where people argued over the slightest things.

"Well, I guess this means I'm in," I muttered with a roll of my eyes, soon Jacob agreed as well.

"Come on, we're not really going to do this, are we?" Hiccup asked in disbelief, surprised that even we would go along with it.

"Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Jacob replied with a shrug.

"You better strap on your helmets, 'cause this guy right here, he's gonna bring the pain," Snotlout boasted while stretching out with his arm to grab one of the two yellow Terrible Terrors. I couldn't help but smirk when a purple Terrible Terror suddenly bit his hand hard. "Guess it's this one," he said, sounding as if he was in a great deal of pain. "Bring the pain."

The others chose their Terrors soon after that. Astrid took an aqua green one, I chose the red and orange one, Jacob chose one of the yellow ones, while Fishlegs took the red one. The twins had chosen the two yellow ones and Hiccup and Jacob were stuck with the green ones.

"Remember! Not a competition!" Hiccup called after us as we started to leave.

...

The Terrible Terror I'd chosen was actually really friendly. Like to the point where he irritated Snowfire to no end. I couldn't help but smirk as she swatted her tail at him while he flew back onto my shoulder, squawking as if nothing was wrong.

' _Irritating little pest_ ,' Snowfire hummed with a roll of her eyes. ' _I do not see why such a competition is even needed_.'

"You know how men are, especially Viking men," I replied, trying to smother my laughter when the Terror suddenly launched himself onto her saddle. Snowfire let out one growl, and suddenly the air around us had gotten much colder than usual. "Snow, calm down, please."

' _Only if you can get this thing off of my back_!' she snapped, glaring at the Terror. He let out another squawk before jumping off and reaching my side seconds later.

"Well, let's see what this little guy is capable of," I said once things had settled between them. First thing was first, he needed a name. And I think I've already decided on that. The spikes on his back were orange along with his wings and underbelly, while the rest of his body was a vibrant shade of red. "Spikes… it's definitely Spikes."

Spikes only chirped in response. Snowfire was clearly not happy with him, though at least she wasn't trying to attack.

' _Perhaps he is incapable of performing intelligent tasks_ ,' Snowfire crooned, earning a glare from me.

As if to prove that she was wrong, Spikes suddenly flew from my arm and grabbed something from the basket in one corner of the room. My eyes widened in amazement when he returned seconds later with a piece of bread clutched between his talons.

"Well, I think this proves he's already trained," I declared once he'd dropped the piece of bread in my hands. Snowfire simply rolled her eyes and grumbled in response. "Don't worry, you're still the best in my eyes," I quickly reassured her.

' _Of course I am_ ,' she retorted.

"Come on, let's head back to the house." Snowfire was more than happy to follow while Spikes was perched on my shoulder. Surprisingly his talons didn't hurt like I was expecting. He kept balance as we headed past Fishlegs' house, only to overhear what he was saying to his Terrible Terror.

"Well, trainee, I have a rigorous training schedule planned out for you," Fishlegs started. "Step one: We need to name you." I exchanged one look with Snowfire before realizing I wasn't the only one overhearing his little pep talk.

"Alex, I uh... I wasn't expecting to see you out so late," Hiccup admitted sheepishly, only to find himself tackled to the ground by Spikes. I couldn't help but grin at the sight as Toothless warbled in amusement.

"I figured I might as well see what Spikes is capable of," I replied with a shrug. "Apparently, he makes a good watch dog."

' _An annoying one_ ,' Snowfire huffed once Spikes returned to my side.

"Heh, well, at least you're not taking the competition seriously." I frowned at that before glancing towards Fishlegs' house.

"So I take it everyone else is?" I asked, my voice oddly quiet.

Hiccup only nodded at that, then looked over to see Meatlug show up, carrying a sheep in her mouth. I've seen a lot of weird things lately, but this was by far the weirdest. Then again, I didn't really know Fishlegs that well. Maybe this was just a game he played with Meatlug every now and then.

"Okay, I've got it narrowed down to Lars or Van. Maybe Karsten or Slurg. How about Deathwing? Oooh... that sounds good. Intimidating," Fishlegs cooed over his Terrible Terror, then turned to see us arrive. I rolled my eyes when I realized just how seriously Fishlegs was taking this 'competition'. And the look on Meatlug's face... I really felt sorry for her as she tried playing with the sheep on her own. "I'm gonna crush him in this Dragon Training competition."

"It's not a competition, Fishlegs. Listen, I of all people know that Snotlout has a way of getting under your skin. I just want to make sure you're not losing perspective in all of this," Hiccup intervened.

"Deathwing and I? No, we don't plan on losing anything," Fishlegs reassured him.

"Uh, Deathwing?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Or Iggy. We're not sure yet. What do you like?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

I only rolled my eyes once again in annoyance. Fishlegs really didn't get it, did he? Poor Meatlug was sitting alone in the corner of the room, just looking downright dejected. To my surprise, Toothless and Spikes tried cheering her up. Snowfire wasn't exactly the proper size to fit in Fishlegs' house.

"Uh, is Meatlug okay?" Hiccup asked after noticing too. Meatlug merely looked down at the floor when Toothless warbled helpfully.

"Poor Meatlug," I sighed, my voice so quiet that Hiccup or Fishlegs wouldn't hear.

"Okay, well… good talk," Hiccup sighed after realizing Fishlegs wouldn't say anything else. Spikes jumped back onto my shoulder when he realized we were leaving. Whatever was happening between Fishlegs and Meatlug, I hoped it didn't last long.

...

The next day, all of us were gathered in the arena with our respective Terrible Terrors. I hadn't missed the fact that Meatlug still had a sheep in her mouth as she waddled towards us. When she approached Fishlegs, he acted as if she didn't even exist.

"Oh, Iggy, you can do this, you're the best, most well trained dragon ever," Fishlegs cooed over his Terror before Meatlug nudged him gently. "No, Meatlug. I can't right now." Warbling sadly, Meatlug sat in one corner of the arena after dropping her sheep. "Okay, time to show off what we've trained our Terrible Terrors to do." He turned and looked at Snotlout confidently. "Why don't you go first?"

"Why don't you go first?" Snotlout retorted.

"Fine, I'll go first."

"No you don't! I'll go first!"

"First, second, third, it doesn't matter! 'Cause in the end, you're going to come in last."

"And it just keeps getting worse," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes. I agreed with him wholeheartedly. Something was definitely up with Fishlegs, and this competition had only made it obvious that he was determined to 'beat' Snotlout.

"Whoa, what got into Fishlegs?" Astrid asked in surprise.

"Looks like he's finally grown some—"

"Whoa, how about I go first?" Hiccup cut Tuffnut off before he could finish his sentence. "Especially since I don't care whether or not I win because this isn't a competition."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to end well?" I grumbled under my breath, earning a knowing smirk from Jacob.

"Yeah, you keep selling that," Snotlout scoffed.

"Ready, Toothless?" Hiccup asked as he approached the Night Fury in question. His Terrible Terror, Sharpshot, was sitting perched on his arm. Toothless balanced three wooden ducks on his wings, and got ready for their tricks. "Now!" Toothless fired each duck into the air. "Sharpshot, fire!"

Sharpshot flew high into the air and fired three shots, hitting each target with ease. He then landed gracefully on Hiccup's arms.

"Not bad. You're starting off the competition with a bang, Hiccup," Astrid said.

"It's not a competition," Hiccup reminded her.

"Not yet it isn't," Fishlegs said, glaring at Snotlout.

Next was Astrid's turn. I was really curious as to what she would do with her Terrible Terror. But surprisingly, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked hopefully. Everyone stared at her in confusion.

"What do we think of what?" Snotlout asked, looking around in confusion.

"My dragon's stealth skills," Astrid replied.

"Right, his skill's so stupid, he didn't even show up," Snotlout laughed in a mocking tone.

"Or did he?" Astrid asked.

I couldn't help but smirk when Snotlout looked up to see a Terrible Terror perched on his helmet. I hated to admit it, but Astrid was good at teaching her dragon new tricks. One moment the Terror was on Snotlout's helmet, and the next it was on Ruffnut's helmet.

"Oh, he's good," Tuffnut said.

"Yeah? Who's good?" Ruffnut asked before hearing a growling noise.

"Sneaky," Tuffnut admitted as the Terror flew back to Astrid. "Then again, he can't do what Butt and Head can do."

The two Terrible Terrors in question were circling the arena. I could already see where this was going, and Astrid knew as well.

"Let me guess, they're going to run into each other, aren't they?" she guessed.

"Eh, wrong," Tuffnut said with a shrug.

Both Terrors started flying in the air once the twins gave their signal. Seconds later and they crashed into each other before falling back to the ground.

"They flew into each other," Ruffnut said.

"Totally different," Tuffnut added.

Then it was my turn. I glanced at Snowfire warily as she rested beside Toothless and the other dragons. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go with a classic.

"Okay, for this trick, I'll need a volunteer," I explained as Spikes crawled up my arm. Everyone took a step back as they feared what Spikes might do to them. Grabbing an apple, I turned to Hiccup since he was the only one who didn't back down. "Thanks for volunteering, Hiccup," I said cheerfully.

Hiccup turned around and glared at everyone who had stepped back. For all he knew, this was my way of getting revenge. Though truthfully, I wasn't that kind of person. Restraining a smirk, I glanced at Spikes knowingly. The little dragon chirped in response and took the apple from my hand before flying over to Hiccup's side and putting the apple on his head. That was when Hiccup stiffened and realized what I was about to do.

One signal was all it took for Spikes to shoot a fireball at the apple, just inches from its perch. I tried not to laugh at Hiccup's expression when Spikes was finished and returned to my side.

"Whoa… you've got to teach us that trick!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"It's a trade secret," I replied with a smirk.

"More like something you picked up from a movie," Jacob added under his breath, earning a glare from me.

Fishlegs was up next this time, and he had Iggy sitting in a barrel on the center of the arena. On the other end of the arena were crates filled with items inside them.

"Prepare to be amazed by the smartest little dragon in the archipelago," Fishlegs boasted. He showed us a pieces of paper with items drawn on them. He shuffled them around and pulled one out of random, which happened to be a picture of an apple that he showed to Iggy. "Iggy, bring this to me," he ordered. Iggy than flew off and grabbed one of the apples from the crates. He then dropped the apple in Fishlegs' hands after flying back. 'Good boy, Iggy. Awe, who's a good little guy?"

' _All he has done is show is that the irritating creature can fetch_ ,' Snowfire growled with a roll of her eyes. I only nodded in agreement, though I didn't bother saying it out loud. Sometimes it was better not to stick my nose in things that weren't of my concern.

"Whatever, lucky guess," Snotlout scoffed.

"Okay, you choose one," Snotlout retorted after handing Snotlout a drawing.

Snotlout merely grunted and started shuffling the drawings before pulling one out at random. The drawing this time was an image of a bucket, and he showed it promptly to Iggy. He stared at the drawing for one second before flying off. Seconds later and he returned with a bucket that was dropped into Snotlout's head

"Good thing he didn't pick a mace," Jacob muttered to me. I smirked in agreement at that.

"Whoa, I couldn't do that," Tuffnut admitted.

"Big deal. So he plays fetch," Snotlout retorted while trying to pry the bucket off his head.

"What does your Terrible Terror do?" Fishlegs asked, his voice dripping with confidence.

"This," Snotlout explained while opening a crate.

By now I was struggling not to laugh when the Terrible Terror flew out of the crate and bit him on the leg, hard. Snotlout started walking around the arena, groaning in pain from the sudden impact.

' _What an irritating human_ ,' Snowfire hummed while watching Snotlout in amusement.

"So let me get this straight, you trained him to bite you?" Fishlegs asked while smothering his own laughter.

"Try and pry him loose," Snotlout snapped angrily. "I dare you. Took Gobber all day yesterday to get him off my leg." To prove his point, he revealed a bandage wrapped around his left leg.

Okay, so Snotlout was desperate enough to make it so that he couldn't walk for a while. I wasn't sure what was funnier. Seeing the Terrible Terror biting him, or watching him grimace in pain.

"You're ridiculous. Just tell him I won, Hiccup," Fishlegs retorted.

And of course, it didn't take long for things to turn into an argument over who was the best. I crossed my arms and leaned against Snowfire as she sniffed in annoyance at their constant bickering.

' _This fighting is pointless_ ,' she muttered crossly. ' _All these humans have proven is that they cannot get along with each other._ ' I simply nodded in agreement, having already decided that I wanted no part in this argument.

"If they'd get their heads together maybe we could actually get things done around here," I added reproachfully. "Of course anything I suggest would seem pointless."

Snowfire hummed in amusement at that. But it was true. Lately it felt as if I didn't get a say in anything that happened. But low and behold, if Astrid makes a suggestion, she gets all the credit for it. I was still fuming when I noticed Toothless looking pointedly at where Meatlug had been moments before. That was when we all heard a roar coming from one of the Whispering Death tunnels.

"Meatlug?" Fishlegs called out his dragon's name, but heard no response.

It was too late by the time everyone reached the spot where Meatlug had vanished. Toothless tried firing several plasma blasts to see if he could fight off whoever had taken her, but it only resulted in the rocks blocking the entrance.

"Hiccup, they took Meatlug!" Fishlegs exclaimed while kneeling next to the now sealed hole.

...

It wasn't long before everyone had their dragons firing at the sealed hole. Snowfire even tried firing ice to see if that would crack the rocks open. But nothing seemed to work as the dragons were left with a rocky seal blocking the only way to Meatlug.

"We're only making it worse!" Fishlegs said frantically.

"He's right. Hold your fire," Hiccup ordered.

' _Thank you for wasting our time and energy_ ,' Snowfire growled, already annoyed with their constant arguing.

"Oh, what are we going to do, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, trying to hide the fact that he was incredibly worried about Meatlug. "Those tunnels go all over the island. She could be anywhere."

"They don't really go over all the island. Like, six yak farms," Tuffnut replied.

"A couple of sheep pens," Ruffnut added.

"Mildew's cabbage field."

"Gobber's outhouse!" We all looked at the twins incredulously.

"What? We've spent a lot of time in those tunnels. It's a tunnel of fun," Tuffnut explained. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. That had to be one of the worst puns I've heard yet.

"Okay, we'll have to split up, cover all those places," Hiccup said after crossing his arms and turning to face everyone.

"Great! Dibs on the beach!" Tuffnut exclaimed, and I resisted the urge to facepalm. Seriously? Just how stupid could Tuffnut get? I had a feeling that the beach would make the perfect place for whoever took Meatlug to run and hide. They would never suspect a bunch of kids finding them.

"Uh, what beach?" Hiccup asked, sounding more frustrated than anything else.

"The tunnel that goes to the secluded beach on the far side of the island," Tuffnut explained with a shrug. "I can't believe you and Alex haven't been there yet. White sand! So soft on your little toes…" I simply shook my head at the thought of going anywhere with anyone alone.

At the moment, I was simply just happy with tagging along and making sure they didn't do anything stupid. Hiccup and I weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment. I just had a feeling that things weren't going to get any easier between us.

' _That sounds like a relaxing place_ ,' Snowfire sighed in contentment.

"We'll have to visit it sometime," I suggested in a whisper, hoping the others wouldn't hear in on our plan. Once the decisions were made, we all split off in different directions to look for where Alvin had taken Meatlug.

…

It felt like ages had passed when we had reached the beach on our dragons. The Terrible Terrors were flying alongside us (Spikes chose to ride on my shoulder, to which I was happy to oblige), while Fishlegs sat behind Hiccup on Toothless.

"Oh, if anything happens to my Meatlug, I'll never forgive myself!" Fishlegs groaned.

' _Would you stop blaming yourself already_?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes. ' _Even if it was all his fault_ ,' she added to me only. I could only nod in agreement. If Fishlegs hadn't been so focused on training his Terrible Terror, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Sometimes there was a little thing called 'too much competition'.

"Snowfire's right, you need to stop blaming yourself. This wasn't your fault," Astrid reminded him as Stormfly flew in beside Toothless.

"Sure it is," Tuffnut piped up.

"Tuffnut," Jacob said in a warning tone, and the male Thorston twin just looked at him as if nothing was wrong.

"What? It's not my fault. Is it yours?" he asked Ruffnut.

"Nope, not my fault," Ruffnut retorted.

"Yeah, definitely Fishlegs' fault," Tuffnut concluded.

"Guys, not helping," Hiccup pointed out. I glanced at Fishlegs uneasily after noticing how crestfallen he looked.

He really must feel guilty for what had happened to Meatlug. Which led me to wondering why he was so determined to push her away while training his Terrible Terror. He seemed to read my mind as he let out a sigh of frustration.

"No, no. They're right, Hiccup. I ignored the most important thing in my life because I got so caught up in beating Snotlout," he explained.

"See? Bad things happen when you try to beat the Snotman," Snotlout boasted. Everyone just glared at him when he said that. I couldn't believe how arrogant he was. Some things never got old. "What? Sometimes the truth is hard to swallow."

"You two tried to tell me, Hiccup and Alex, but I didn't listen," Fishlegs sighed.

"Fishlegs, we'll get her back," I said, a new wave of determination washing over me. There was no way in hell I'd let Alvin get away with hurting poor Meatlug.

"Yeah, we won't let anything happen to her," Hiccup promised with a nod of agreement.

' _I see an Outcast ship_!' Snowfire suddenly pointed out.

I looked down to see that she was right, as usual. An Outcast ship was sailing back to their island. The worst part was, Alvin was the one sailing the ship. Seeing him again only sent thrills of rage through me. Our last encounters hadn't ended well. For anyone. What pissed me off more than anything was seeing Meatlug tied down to the ship.

Snotlout and Jacob wasted no time in having Hookfang and Sniper fire at the ship, but Alvin reacted fast enough to burn the fire out with a bucket of water. My fists clenched with rage when Alvin simply smirked triumphantly.

"Give him plenty of lead!" I could hear him shout even from the distance. "Maybe we can take out more dragons than I thought."

Outcasts had reached for their crossbows and took aim at the Riders. I tensed at the situation we were suddenly under, when Tuff and Ruff suddenly had Barf and Belch spray gas across the ship. One good spark seconds later led to an explosive fire that shook the ship.

"Ha! Like shooting yaks in a barrel," Tuffnut cheered as they flew away from the ship.

"That was fun," Ruffnut chuckled in agreement.

Stormfly chose that moment to fire spikes at the Outcasts while they were still recovering from the explosion. They managed to leap out of the way just in time, only to freeze from Snowfire's icy breath. Toothless was ready to fire a plasma blast when Alvin stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Back off!" Alvin shouted as he aimed his sword in Meatlug's direction. Seeing the forlorn look on Meatlug's face only made me angrier. I seriously wished there was a way to smack off that smirk on Alvin's face. "Or I'll run the Gronckle through."

"Hiccup, wait! Don't fire!" Fishlegs cried. Toothless warbled in confusion and held his fire back. I couldn't help but look at Meatlug, noticing not for the first time how dejected she looked. For the first time, it looked like she was ready to give up.

"Riders, hold your fire! Fall back!" Hiccup called over his shoulder. We did just that, though Snowfire was more reluctant to leave than anyone else.

' _I have more than a bone to pick with that blasted human_!' she growled irritably. I couldn't agree more with her, though Hiccup was right to fall back in this case. Meatlug was in serious danger if we got any closer. Alvin wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

"No! We can't just leave her there!" Fishlegs exclaimed, his voice suddenly raising to a pitch.

"Don't worry, Fishlegs. We aren't planning to," Hiccup reassured him.

Alvin probably thought that he had won. Little did he suspect, we had something bigger planned. Or probably something smaller. I couldn't help but smirk as I looked down to see the chaos unfold. Terrible Terrors were attacking Alvin and his men. The ones who weren't frozen were attacked almost immediately by Spikes.

Seconds later, Iggy flew back towards Alvin and grabbed hold of his sword with his talons before returning to Fishlegs' side, sword still in tow.

"I wish I was as smart as that dragon," Tuffnut said.

"I think we all wish you were as smart as that dragon," Jacob muttered under his breath.

"Now, it's up to Sharpshot," Hiccup said.

He gestured for Sharpshot to fly down towards the Outcast ship. With quick movement, Sharpshot was able to fire at the ropes tying Meatlug down. Meatlug let out a growl of happiness and tried flying off, but one of the ropes was still snared around her leg.

"Oh, no you don't," Savage sneered as Mildew tried grabbing hold of the rope.

Butt and Head suddenly chose that moment to charge in and knock Mildew out cold. I couldn't help but grin at the sight, suddenly wishing I had a camera for that moment. Anything that knocked out Mildew was okay in my books. Savage had tried grabbing the rope as well, but Spikes and Spitfire, Jacob's Terrible Terror, worked together to make Savage dizzy by flying around in circles.

"Teamwork," Jacob said with a sheepish grin.

Meatlug was able to use his distraction as a change to escape, but Alvin had lassoed a rope around her foot as she started flying away. "Not so fast," he growled as he started pulling her in.

"Oh, she's not going to make it!" Fishlegs cried in alarm.

"Oh, yes she is!" I looked at Snotlout in surprise as he yanked the Terrible Terror off his neck and suddenly aimed it at Alvin. The Terrible Terror flew towards Alvin before cutting the rope that held Meatlug down, freeing her from the Outcast's grasp and making Alvin fall flat on his ass.

"Bam, who's the best dragon trainer now?" Snotlout boasted. I almost laughed when his Terrible Terror suddenly latched its teeth around his neck again. "Pain," he wheezed out. Meatlug used her freedom to fly back to Fishlegs, who was all too happy to return to her side.

"Oh, I missed you too," he sighed happily, patting her on the forehead.

"Let's say we give Alvin a taste of his own medicine?" I suggested, giving Hiccup a knowing look.

' _I like this plan_ ,' Snowfire crooned with delight as the four of us steadily approached the Outcast ship. Snowfire did a partial barrel roll so that we were almost hanging upside down. I clung on for dear life as both Snowfire and Toothless did a power-dive towards the ship.

"Wait for it… wait for it…" Hiccup said as we got closer and closer to the ship. "Now, Toothless! Barrel-roll multiple blast!"

"You know what to do," I whispered, and Snowfire only hummed in agreement as Toothless performed a barrel-roll midair. The second Toothless unleashed a fury of plasma blasts was when Snowfire let loose a volley of ice. The combination of fire and ice caused a massive explosion.

' _Now_ that _was worth the wait_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we returned to the other Riders.

"Oh, baby, we got you back, Meatlug," Fishlegs sighed with pure bliss as he hugged Meatlug.

"We all did. Together," Hiccup added.

"Guess the competition was worth something," Tuffnut said with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, for the last time, it was not a competition!" Hiccup yelled for the umpteenth time.

…

I couldn't help but grin sheepishly as Spikes chased after the reflection of my sword. He chirped in frustration after running into a tree head-first, earning a fit of laughter from Jacob. The two of us were sitting together, with Sniper and Snowfire sitting nearby in the sun.

"I take it you didn't keep Spitfire?" I asked when Spikes gave up and jumped onto my shoulder.

"Nah, having one dragon is more than enough for me," Jacob replied with a shrug, and Sniper only grunted in agreement. "So… have you thought of talking to Hiccup lately about the 'you know what'?"

My face fell at the mention of Hiccup. He and the others had decided to keep their Terrible Terrors. They were off training them in the Academy while we sat and talked. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to face him after what had almost happened to poor Meatlug.

"I can't," I sighed after digging the edge of my sword into the ground. "It's hard enough working alongside him just to solve every-day problems. But honestly, I don't know what he would say if I told him the truth."

After so many months of keeping this bottled up, I knew that it could wait longer. I wasn't sure what Hiccup would say to what my father had done to me. Besides, there was still the Outcasts to worry about as well as Dagur the Deranged. I just hoped that this didn't come back to bite me in the ass.

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry it took so long to get this posted. I actually did have the chapter all typed up, but for some reason, I'd lost track of posting it in between working on the Paradigm and everything else. Anywho, as a lot of people can see, I've been using some lyrics from the wonderfully talented NF. He's an awesome Christian rapper, and if people haven't heard his works, than I highly recommend them. Got to see him at Creation Fest 2016, and he was amazing as always :)**

 **The Silent Fury - You and me both. Alex has her reasons for keeping her secrets, and it's probably going to bite her in the butt later on. She has some unknown issues that will more than likely be mentioned later on ;)**

 **OeschnerC - Unfortunately, it's never that easy...**

 **Narcutis - Thanks, I'm really glad you like it so far. I actually didn't do the second season because... in all honesty, I was too lazy to Oo But, I've worked up the courage to write up the second season, even if it takes forever to finish. Then we can move on to the second movie :D**


	40. Appetite for Destruction

**Chapter Forty**

On one of the many small islands that were scattered across the archipelago, a young Deadly Nadder flew in beside a purple colored one for a rest. With a yawn, the Nadder plopped down for a break from all the flying it had done earlier.

That was when we decided to make our appearance. With the Nadder relaxed enough for an easy target, I slipped out of my hiding place, and, with my handy slingshot, fired a bag of yellow paint towards the Nadder. Squawking in surprise, the Nadder flew off with it's companion.

"Got one," I announced as Snowfire joined me. Hiccup and Astrid were flying nearby, searching for other dragons to tag with yellow paint. The situation was all the more awkward, because Astrid had asked me to tag along since I was able to bond with most of the dragons.

I tried to make the most of it, though. At least it gave me a chance to get away from Berk, with Snowfire by my side.

' _I do not understand why you must paint them with those colors_ ,' Snowfire huffed as I hopped into her saddle and she took off. ' _They looked perfectly fine without them_.'

"Well, tagging dragons was the best option we had without causing them physical harm," I reminded her. "It's the best way to keep track of which dragon came from which island." Not to mention, it was also a good way to keep track of any newcomers.

Lately, there had been a recent flurry of dragons showing up on Berk. I couldn't help but wonder if I was responsible for that. You see, with my bonding abilities, it not only gave me the chance to bond with wild, untamed dragons, but they also seemed to _attract_ them as well. At least, that was what the pages of Bork's journal told me.

"Okay, these Nadders get tagged yellow. That's how we know they're from Sorrow Island," Hiccup informed us as Snowfire flew closer to Toothless. Just as he said that, Astrid flew past us on her own Deadly Nadder, Stormfly.

"Like this?" she asked, swinging a bag of yellow paint over her head. I only rolled my eyes as it hit a Nadder that was behind us, leaving a yellow splat on its back. Hearing another Nadder's roar, Astrid had Stormfly fly after the dragon and tagged it yellow as well. One more toss and she tagged yet another Nadder. "You're free to join in! Anytime!" she called to us with a knowing smirk before coaxing Stormfly to pursue another Nadder.

' _Is it just me, or has she gotten even more irritating than usual_?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes. I only nodded in agreement, having no desire to say anything out loud that might make the tension even worse.

As much as I tried to avoid the inevitable, it was obvious that Astrid's feelings towards Hiccup were growing stronger. And, since we hadn't been talking much, Hiccup was spending more time with Astrid. I was almost too ashamed to face the truth.

Shaking my head at the thought, I had Snowfire chase down another Nadder that flew close by. I pulled out another bag of yellow paint and tagged it within seconds, hiding a triumphant grin as it squawked and flew away.

Hiccup had pulled off a disappearing trick on the Nadder Toothless was chasing, making it believe that it was in the clear. With his multifunctional Gronckle Iron shield, Hiccup managed to tag the last Deadly Nadder.

"Alright, I have to admit. That shield is pretty cool," Astrid complimented once we'd landed on a nearby sea stack.

I couldn't agree more with that notion. The shield Hiccup made was more than functional, acting as both a defensive shield, and a weapon when he needed one.

"Why, thank you. I quite like it, too," Hiccup replied, giving a mocking bow before dusting off the shield's rim. "I'm gonna check on the twins. They're supposed to be marking the Crescent Island dragons," he added before he had Toothless take off towards Crescent Island.

"I'm sure that's going wonderfully," Astrid said under her breath, rolling her eyes at the thought of the twins actually doing something useful.

' _Knowing them, they have marked everything but the dragons_ ,' Snowfire chimed in agreement, earning a smirk from Astrid and me.

"Well, we best not keep them waiting," I said with a sly look. With that thought in mind, both Snowfire and Stormfly took off after Hiccup and Toothless.

…

Sure enough, as we got closer to Crescent Island, I could find one of the twins actually doing what they were told. Ruffnut was cautiously wandering through the undergrowth, searching for dragons to be tagged. Snowfire kept well enough away that we wouldn't be spotted, and soon, Ruffnut's patience was rewarded when she finally found a Gronckle feasting on some boulders. Unfortunately, the same Gronckle was currently being targeted by her brother, Tuffnut, as well.

' _Should we not intervene_?' Snowfire asked, watching the two in amusement. Tuffnut was about to throw the paint at the Gronckle, when it chose to fly off. He threw the bag of paint at one last pitched attempt, but instead of hitting the Gronckle, it hit Ruffnut square in the face. Purple paint splattered across her face, and she scowled from the impact.

"Haha, cool! I always wondered what you would look like in purple," Tuffnut laughed after realizing he'd hit his sister instead. I winced as she wiped off some of the pain from her face and glared.

"You know, you could at least say you're sorry," she grumbled.

"You're right, I could. Okay, I'm sorry… that your head got in the way," Tuffnut jeered. I nearly facepalmed as they started arguing, and threw bags of paint at one another.

"Guys!"

Snowfire was far enough away that the paint wouldn't hit us, but Toothless was flying in fast towards the spectacle. Hiccup had to lean his head back to avoid getting hit by a bag of paint that the twins had unintentionally thrown at him. Unfortunately, one of the bags of paint happened to fling in our direction. Snowfire had ducked out of the way, but I didn't have enough time to react as purple paint splattered along my hair.

' _What happened to tagging the dragons_?' Snowfire demanded as we landed beside Toothless, who warbled in concern upon seeing the paint now covering my hair.

Tuffnut flinched as I hopped out of her saddle and slapped him across the back of his head. "Next time you have a paint war, don't include me," I muttered crossly.

Luckily, Snowfire was able to create a mist that helped clean most of the paint off. The paint had left streaks of purple highlights in my hair, though. Thanks to her ability to breathe fire and ice, she was able to create a mist that washed most of it away.

"Huh, most people would pay a lot of money for highlights in our world," I remarked after noticing the purple highlights.

' _It is not a bad look_ ,' Snowfire commented.

"You know, if you think it through, Hiccup, this is pretty much your fault," Tuffnut said once we got back.

"And just how do you figure that?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Uh, hello. You armed us with paint. Where did you think that was gonna go? And we're the stupid ones," Ruffnut stated the obvious, defending her brother.

' _They have a good point, there_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement at the look of exasperation Hiccup gave them.

"How many of these do we have to do, anyways?" Tuffnut asked, ignoring the jibe Ruffnut made towards him.

"As many as we can," Hiccup replied. "The more dragons we tag on each island, the better we can keep track of where they belong and where they migrate to." And, as usual, the twins weren't interested in whatever he had to say. Anything that didn't involve destruction or fighting wasn't interesting to the twins, as far as I was concerned.

"Wow, that was… uh…" Ruffnut started before stopping herself.

"Fascinating?" Hiccup suggested, smiling wryly until Tuffnut spoke up.

"What's the opposite of fascinating?" he asked. That was when Astrid chose to join us on Stormfly.

"Hiccup, isn't it supposed to be one colored dragon per island?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" Hiccup replied.

"I see two colors, down there," Astrid pointed out to a pair of Gronckles munching on rocks nearby. My eyes narrowed when I noticed one was tagged purple, like all of the dragons from Crescent Island. The other one was tagged green. "Have we been using the wrong one?" Astrid asked in concern.

"I don't think so," Hiccup replied, then looked at the twins.

"Don't look at us. If we had green paint, you know where it would be," Tuffnut pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure we all know where it would be," I muttered under my breath, referring to the incident earlier.

"Well, I better ask Fishlegs and Jacob. This was their idea," Hiccup said. That much was true. Recently, Jacob and Fishlegs had been coming up with all sorts of ideas to keep better track of all the dragons on Berk. I found it ironic that Jacob got along so well with Fishlegs, now.

"You're gonna fly all the way back to Berk?" Astrid asked in disbelief. We were miles away from anywhere near the main island. While she did have a good point, there were ways around that.

"No, I don't have to," Hiccup reassured her as he went for one of Toothless' saddlebags.

"What's he talking about?" Ruffnut asked in confusion.

"He must have some of that magic paper we've been looking for," Tuffnut replied.

"He and Alex always get the good stuff," Ruffnut said sulkily.

"It's not magic paper," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes. "Fishlegs, Alex and I have been working on something new." He scribbled down a message for Fishlegs and Jacob on the sheet of paper. "We call it airmail." As he said that, he pulled Sharpshot, his Terrible Terror, out of the saddle and attached the letter to him.

"Stupid name," Tuffnut snickered.

"Right?" Ruffnut smiled in agreement.

"Well, it makes sense when you think about it," I pointed out. "You know, it's like getting a message in a bottle, only through the sky, and with a dragon." The twins just looked at me as if I was crazy, and I resisted the urge to glare back.

"Do you really think that Terrible Terror's going to fly all the way back to Berk?" Astrid asked skeptically.

"Yep, and right to the Academy," Hiccup replied confidently. "Terrors are especially territorial, so it's a natural instinct for them to return to their home wherever they were released." Sharpshot took the chance to climb to the top of his head and took off.

Just for the fun of it, though, the spunky Terrible Terror flew around in a circle and flew right into Ruffnut's face before biting onto the horn of Tuffnut's helmet. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight as Sharpshot left before the twins fought back.

"And how will we know he made it?" Astrid asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When Fishlegs, Snotlout and Jacob meet us at Dragon Island," Hiccup replied. Astrid only scoffed, and I had to admit that she was beginning to irritate me with her doubt. We'd been practicing this for weeks now, with all of our Terrible Terrors. I knew for a fact that it would work.

"Please, if that happens, I'll kiss Snotlout on the lips," she said.

' _And I would be the first to watch that happen_ ,' Snowfire hummed with amusement. I pitied anyone who was forced to kiss Snotlout on the lips, even if that someone happened to be Astrid or Jessica.

…

On Dragon Island, Fishlegs stood alongside Jacob with Sharpshot perched on his shoulder, giving the little dragon a scratch on the chin. Suddenly, Sharpshot startled when he heard Snotlout's snoring, and crept under Fishlegs' shoulder. It was obvious his breath was enough to scare away even the bravest dragons. I had to wince as the stench was even enough for Hookfang to crawl away and join Sniper, who was busy sunning himself until Hookfang approached him.

' _Does he ever clean his breath_?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes.

"You know it's bad when it's strong enough to scare even Hookfang away," I added with a nod of agreement.

"Well, look who it is. Fishlegs, Jacob and _Snotlout_ , all right here on Dragon Island," Hiccup remarked in a smug tone. I almost burst out laughing when he raised his voice enough to wake up Snotlout.

"Oh, you poor child," I said with a shake of my head while giving Astrid a sly look. Snotlout woke up immediately at the sound of his name, and looked at us groggily as our dragons landed on the beach.

"Astrid was just talking about you," Hiccup informed his cousin, smiling mischievously as Astrid's eyes narrowed. Snotlout only grinned at the thought of Astrid talking about him.

"Of course she was," he said smugly. Astrid only glared at Hiccup, who puckered his lips at her.

"Well, I have to say that I almost feel sorry for you," I said under my breath.

' _And yet, you do not_ ,' Snowfire hummed, the smugness in her voice evident. I couldn't help but smirk at that, ignoring the glare that Astrid was giving me as she got off Stormfly. The look she gave both Hiccup and me was deadly, to say the least.

"Say it, and those will be the last words you ever speak," she snapped under her breath, cracking her neck joints as if to make a point. Luckily, Fishlegs and Jacob intervened before things got any worse than they already were.

"Hiccup, we got your message! I knew airmail would work," Fishlegs said cheerfully. "So, uh, what's the emergency?" Sharpshot had chosen that moment to fly onto my shoulder, growling happily as I scratched his chin gently.

"We've been seeing green painted dragons on Crescent Island," Hiccup explained.

" _That's_ your emergency? I was in the middle of something very important," Snotlout complained.

"You know, they say oversleeping can make you look worse," Jacob pointed out cheekily, earning a glare from the Jorgenson boy.

"Fishlegs, does it make any sense why those dragons are there?" Hiccup asked, getting back to the main point.

"No, they shouldn't be," Fishlegs said thoughtfully. He went over to a flat rock and spread a map across it. I glanced at Snowfire anxiously, wondering if she would know what was causing them to fly to other islands. Dragons were known to be territorial, especially towards newcomers. So, it didn't make sense that they'd be fleeing to another island that was already inhabited. "Crescent Island is clearly marked purple," Fishlegs informed us.

"That's what I thought," Hiccup said in agreement.

"So, what were the green dragons doing there?" Astrid asked. She looked at Snowfire expectantly, as if Snowfire would flat out answer her question.

' _Do not give me that look, hatchling_ ,' she snapped. ' _I do not know the answer to everything_.'

"First of all, the color is pistachio," Fishlegs informed us, ignoring Snowfire's remark that was enough to make Astrid flinch. I crossed my arms and leaned against her as they discussed the numerous possibilities of what was causing the dragons to go from island to island. "They belong on Tall Tree Island. That's where I tagged them."

"Yeah, well, your 'pistachio' dragons aren't where they're supposed to be," Astrid pointed out sarcastically, placing Fishlegs' hand on a yellow covered island. Fishlegs' eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he realized what she was getting at.

"Huh, that's weird…" he mumbled almost to himself.

"They wouldn't be going to another dragon's island unless something was spooking them," Jacob said as he looked at the markers carefully. "Right?"

"As far as I know, dragons are extremely territorial. They don't usually intrude on an inhabited island unless there's a good reason," I said after giving it some thought.

"We need to figure this out. Let's go to Tall Tree Island," Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"Sounds awesome. I was wondering what I'd be doing for the rest of the day," Snotlout announced, leaving to go find Hookfang after he'd wandered off. I only rolled my eyes as I figured where he would be headed after this. And sure enough, once we were in the air, Snotlout had Hookfang fly away. "See ya back on Berk, suckers!" he cheered as Hookfang flew off.

"Some things never change," Jacob muttered under his breath.

' _And I doubt he ever will_ ,' Snowfire added. We just went on with our scouting mission, without the help of Snotlout.

…

It took us a good while to reach Tall Tree Island. Or what we thought would be Tall Tree Island. I looked around in surprise when I noticed there wasn't anything here. Snowfire seemed to tense as she caught something in the air, but still, she refused to say what was wrong.

"I don't understand. We should be there by now," Hiccup said, referring to Tall Tree Island.

"Maybe we're off course?" Astrid suggested, glancing at Fishlegs hopefully.

"I don't do off-course," Fishlegs retorted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Okay, so where would the island be, if that were the case?" I asked with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, according to my map, it should be right…" Fishlegs peered at his map, but his eyes widened as he realized something was wrong.

"You were saying?" Astrid and I asked at the same time. Hiccup kept looking around anxiously, but it was what Jacob said that left me worrying.

"You know, even if we were off course, we'd still be able to see it from here," he pointed out.

"Well, an island can't just disappear," Astrid said uncertainly.

"Earthquake?" Fishlegs suggested.

"Volcano?" Hiccup guessed as well.

"No, if this were a volcano, we would have seen it," I murmured thoughtfully. "Something else is at play, here."

"Well, it could be the wrath of Thor… or even the wrath of Odin," Fishlegs said meekly. Then he looked a little embarrassed at the looks we gave him. "What? Just throwing out some possible explanations."

' _This island did not disappear naturally_ ,' Snowfire spoke for the first time since we left Dragon Island. Astrid only shook her head as she spotted something flying straight towards us.

"None of that explains this," she pointed out. Three Monstrous Nightmares were flying straight at us, ignoring the possibilities of crashing into anyone. Luckily, none of them were in any mood to fight with all of us around. That's when the four of us noticed the orange splattered paint on each of the Monstrous Nightmares. "Orange?" Astrid asked in disbelief.

"Burnt Apricot, actually," Fishlegs corrected her.

"Seriously, nobody cares what the color is called," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"What island are they from?" Astrid asked, turning to Hiccup. He pulled out a sheet of paper with notes written down about each of the dragons we'd marked earlier, and their locations.

"According to this, they're from Sunstone Island," he replied.

"Ah, Sunstone Island! Pristine beaches, a veritable smorgasbord of fine mineral deposits for Meatlug," Fishlegs said in a dreamy voice, and patted Meatlug on the shoulder. The sweet Gronckle wagged her tail happily at the thought of returning to her favorite island.

"Sunstone Island it is," Hiccup declared, and the five of us flew off towards our next destination.

…

What we found wasn't exactly what Fishlegs had described. It looked as if half of the island was eaten away by the ocean, or something much more dangerous. The 'pristine' beaches that Fishlegs had described were nothing more than crumbling edges that the dragons struggled to keep a footing on.

"So, this is the veritable smorgasbord of fine mineral deposits for Meatlug you were talking about?" I deadpanned, gesturing to what was left of the island. Jacob had to let Sniper hover above us just like Astrid was with Stormfly, who squawked in protest as we tried to figure out what had happened to the island.

"Huh, I thought it was bigger," Fishlegs remarked as he and Meatlug tried to get a better look.

"Ya think?" Astrid asked.

"I have to say, the beaches are a bit of a disappointment," Hiccup remarked as Toothless momentarily lost his grip and scrambled to get a firm hold on the rocks. Snowfire herself was struggling to stay on her perch, and with her bigger size, that was saying something. Now, Fishlegs was beginning to test his theories.

"One island's missing and another island's been sunk…" he mused thoughtfully.

"I guess an entire island can disappear," Astrid admitted.

' _No, this island did not disappear naturally_ ,' Snowfire growled once again, and I had to wonder what she was referring to. Something definitely had her on edge. She was more guarded than usual, and refused to say anything else.

"Well, if the islands are gone… where do the dragons go?" Fishlegs asked.

"Good question. Dragons live on a specific island for a specific reason," Hiccup told him.

"The food they eat, where they nest," said Fishlegs as he gave it more thought.

"If they lose their homes, it could endanger the whole species," I added as realization dawned on me.

"We need to figure out what's going on, now," Hiccup said firmly while Toothless and Snowfire clung to the rocks.

"Okay… where exactly would we start investigating?" Jacob asked warily.

"Let's head back to Dragon Island," Hiccup told us.

"If it's still there," Astrid reminded him. I couldn't help but flinch at the thought of what might happen if Dragon Island was gone. What would happen to the inhabitants there? Dragon Island was home to more than it's fair of dragons, and even more so compared to the other smaller islands.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something very bad was happening here. Snowfire's unease was what made me feel even more concerned about our mission going south. If she was upset about something, then it couldn't lead to anything good.

As we flew back to Dragon Island, I began to notice more and more dragons flying past us tagged in different colors. The worst part was, when we arrived at Dragon Island, the whole area was littered with dragons tagged in different paint colors.

"Look at them all!" Hiccup exclaimed

"There's gotta be hundreds of 'em," Jacob said in amazement.

"Check their colors," Astrid advised us. Fishlegs was fidgeting nervously as he recognized most of the colors that we could make out.

"I-I see pistachio… burnt apricot…" he began when Astrid cut him off.

"Look, a new color – red!"

"Technically, that's vermilion," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Seriously? Like anyone really cares," I muttered under my breath, not in the mood for any of these games. Something was definitely wrong here. I could sense it in Snowfire, and the other dragons. Something had scared them off, and I had a feeling that something had to do with the disappearing islands.

"Dragons from three different islands suddenly all here," Hiccup drew out as he and Fishlegs tried to work this one out. He managed to figure out the pattern quickly enough, and when he did, I realized it really would lead to nothing good. "Look, this forms a line, which means there are more islands in danger. Boar Head Island, Thor Rock Island. Toothless, we're going back…" Hiccup was looking at each of the islands that had not been checked yet.

"I'm coming with you," Astrid declared.

"Guess we are too," Jacob put in with a shrug, looking at me anxiously.

' _These islands are disappearing at a faster rate than I thought_ ,' Snowfire growled with unease. ' _Something troubles you, little one_?' She added after noticing how tense I was getting. I hadn't missed the looks the others had given me, and I refused to make eye contact with them.

"I just have a really bad feeling there's something out there," I said under my breath.

"This could get dangerous," Astrid pointed out after noticing how tense I'd gotten.

"What makes you think that?" Hiccup asked, oblivious to the fact that both Snowfire and I had reached our own conclusion.

"Oh, I don't know. Islands disappearing mysteriously, dragons fleeing in terror. Call it a hunch," I said with a shrug.

"Fine," Hiccup groaned in exasperation after realizing I was right. He then looked at Fishlegs, "Fishlegs, you stay here in case any new dragons show up."

"Got it," Fishlegs replied, looking a bit relieved to be left out of this mission. "New dragons. Meatlug and I are on the case."

As we reached what should be Boar's Head Island, we saw nothing but open water for miles to come. My heart was racing with dread as I realized this was a lot more serious than I first thought.

"Boar's Head Island should be down there," Hiccup informed us as he tried looking for remnants of the island. It was literally nothing but open ocean. "It's gone too."

"Okay, now I get what you were saying," Jacob whispered as Sniper hovered beside Snowfire.

"So, now what?" Astrid asked, looking at Jacob anxiously as she heard that.

"We go to Thor Rock Island," I said, my voice full of determination to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"You know, maybe Fishlegs' Wrath of Gods theory _isn't_ so unbelievable," Astrid murmured as we reached Thor Rock Island.

I hadn't missed the marks as Snowfire hovered close to the ground of what was left of the island. Something had made those marks, something big. Bits and pieces of the island were scattered across the area. What I saw only confirmed my worst fears.

"Something bigger than the Gods is at work, here," I whispered.

' _This was not naturally done_ ,' Snowfire added, glancing around warily at the strange indentations. ' _Those look like teeth marks_.'

"Yeah, those markings look familiar, but different somehow…" Hiccup said thoughtfully.

"Different… how?" Astrid asked nervously.

"Different, bigger," Hiccup replied. Just as he said that, a loud scream echoed from deep underground, sending chills through me.

"Oh, great. I'd know that scream anywhere," Jacob groaned as the remains of Thor Island disappeared right before our eyes.

"That sounds like…" Astrid didn't get the chance to finish her statement, her eyes widening in horror as a very familiar, very huge looking dragon erupted from underground.

"The Screaming Death!" Hiccup shouted in alarm.

Now I understood why I was so nervous earlier. The Screaming Death was a hell of a lot bigger than what I remembered, almost the same size as Snowfire. And seeing it now made me realize just how much danger we were in. The Screaming Death had a temper that could match my mom when she was pissed off.

"Someone's been eating their vegetables," Hiccup said uneasily.

"And everything else in sight!" Astrid reminded him.

The Screaming Death let out another ear-splitting scream that left Snowfire, Toothless, Stormfly and Sniper.

' _That scream is even worse than before_ ,' Snowfire groaned at the noise as she tried to stay under control.

"It's screams are disorienting the dragons," Hiccup exclaimed after realizing what was happening.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Jacob said as he tried to keep Sniper from fleeing the area. The Monstrous Nightmare was usually a lot more docile compared to Hookfang, and seeing him now made me realize just how dangerous the Screaming Death really was to them.

That was when the Screaming Death chose to burrow back underground. Now I understood what was going on, and what Snowfire had been saying. Something had caused the islands to disappear, and that something happened to be the Screaming Death.

"The Screaming Death has been destroying all the islands," Hiccup voiced my thoughts. It was really scary when we started thinking the same thing. "It must be tunneling underneath and and caused them to collapse in on themselves."

' _And that is why those other dragons were fleeing in terror_ ,' Snowfire guessed.

"Why would it do that?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know, let's get a closer look," Hiccup replied, earning a disapproving look from Astrid and Jacob. "You're the one who wanted dangerous," he pointed out.

"He has a point," I said as Snowfire tried to follow the Screaming Death's tunneling system, with Hiccup and Toothless close behind. Just as we did that, the Screaming Death suddenly burst from the ground and was right behind us.

"Hiccup, Alex!" Astrid shouted, alerting the two of us.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when Snowfire turned around in time for us to face the Screaming Death. Its red eyes were staring back at us, or, more appropriately, _me_. Something about that look sent shivers of fear through me.

"Easy, bud… Maybe it just wants to be friends," Hiccup suggested in a hopeful tone. The Screaming Death only glared at us, and that confirmed my worst fears. "Or, maybe not," he said nervously as Toothless and Snowfire retreated.

Furious, the Screaming Death unleashed a volley of fireballs, destroying a sea stack in seconds. Letting out another ear-splitting scream, it chased after us. Snowfire sensed the incoming danger first, and started flying faster than I thought possible.

' _This creature seems to have no end_!' Snowfire growled with fury as she flew through a maze of sea stacks, with Toothless close behind.

"Well, it's good to know that it holds a grudge like every other dragon," I muttered crossly.

Luckily, Astrid and Jacob were there to help with their own attacks, of sorts. Armed with bags of green paint, Astrid and Jacob launched bags of paint at the Screaming Death's eyes.

"Hope you like pistachio!" Astrid taunted as the paint obscured its vision. Enraged, the Screaming Death let loose a volley of screams that rattled both Sniper and Stormfly. "Whoa! Steady, Stormfly. Just hang in there," she reassured her Deadly Nadder.

"We need to attack while it's still disoriented by the paint," I shouted over the loud screams that echoed throughout the area.

Quickly, Astrid and Jacob had Stormfly and Sniper fire at the Screaming Death. That did the trick, and soon, the dragon was flying away.

"How's that for accuracy?" Jacob asked with a triumphant grin.

…

On our way back to Dragon Island, I couldn't help but think of why the Screaming Death was doing this in the first place. It was obviously out for revenge after our last escapade, and I knew that things wouldn't end well when revenge was involved. Fishlegs immediately ran up to us once he spotted us approaching the island. The frantic look on his face told me things had not gotten any better.

"Periwinkle Blue! There are now periwinkle blue marked dragons here!" the chubby Ingerman boy exclaimed.

"I know, Boar Head Island," Hiccup informed him, referring to the island the new dragons once called home.

"And-And look! There's eggshell white!" Fishlegs pointed out nervously as dragons splattered with white paint flew by.

"From Thor Rock Island," Astrid said.

"What happened to them?" Fishlegs asked fearfully.

"You're definitely not going to like it," I replied grimly as Hiccup unfolded his map.

"The same thing that happened to all the other islands. The Screaming Death," Hiccup told Fishlegs, crossing another island off the map. Fishlegs only gasped in response, his eyes widening in alarm at the thought of facing the Screaming Death again.

"The Screaming Death… is back?" he asked nervously.

' _I do not believe it ever left_ ,' Snowfire remarked. ' _Hatchlings will often remain in one territory, and claim it as theirs_.' I looked at Snowfire anxiously when she said that, realizing she was probably right, again.

"Yeah, it just got bigger and nastier," Astrid said in agreement when Fishlegs and Hiccup exchanged anxious looks.

"Uh, how much bigger?" Fishlegs asked, clearly not asking for an answer.

"Chomp! Chomp! There goes your island big!" Astrid said, crumbling a rock as if to make a point.

"It explains why all of the islands we were looking for have disappeared. The Screaming Death burrows underground, and the tunnel it creates causes each island to collapse under the pressure," I explained warily. "It explains everything."

"It's just as I thought," Hiccup said as he marked all of the islands on the map, seeing a pattern. "The Screaming Death is using an imaginary line, destroying anything in its path." My eyes widened in alarm when I saw the pattern Hiccup drew on the map. The line stopped right at Dragon Island.

"It's coming right at us," Fishlegs said, beginning to panic with the realization dawning on him.

"That's not even the worst part," Hiccup said grimly, drawling a second line. One that ended straight to Berk.

"Great, this just got even worse," I muttered crossly. I hadn't realized just how serious this was until noticing the patterns. If the Screaming Death managed to reach Berk under my watch, I would never forgive myself.

"It's headed straight for Berk," Astrid whispered.

"We have to get back to Berk and-and warn Stoick!" Fishlegs cried out.

"No, we head it off. We make our stand here," Hiccup retorted, walking over to a small pile of rocks. Snowfire nudged me gently as I gazed out at the horizon, realizing that we were the only ones standing between the Screaming Death and Berk. "There's no other land between here and Berk."

"Look, I'm all about danger, but did you guys see the size of that thing?" Astrid asked, clearly worried about all of our safety.

"It's not going to be just us. We're sending out for reinforcements," Hiccup told her, pulling out another sheet of paper and his charcoal pencil to write another letter for airmail.

"Snotlout and the twins? Oh, I feel so much better," Astrid muttered with a roll of her eyes.

' _Would you rather we leave you as the target_?' Snowfire asked after narrowing her eyes.

"Hey, we're gonna need all the help we can get," Hiccup pointed out. Once again, I was thankful he nor the others heard Snowfire's comment. Once Hiccup had finished writing the message, he rolled up the sheet of paper and attached it to Sharpshot before letting him fly back to Berk.

…

Sharpshot flew at top speed to reach the island of Berk. He set his sights on the twins with the airmail intact, and saw Tuffnut hanging out beside a watchtower with Barf and Belch snoozing nearby. He was clearly looking around for his sister, who was probably lurking nearby.

"Hey, you guys, where is she?" Tuffnut asked, trying to wake Barf and Belch up. The Zippleback merely ignored his question and continued sleeping through the afternoon. "I won't tell her you told me, I swear it."

"She's right here," Ruffnut crowed, causing Tuffnut to look up in time and narrowly avoid getting splattered by purple paint.

Ruffnut only laughed, clutching her empty bucket before jumping off. Tuffnut retaliated by giving chase, determined to prank her back. Luckily, he grabbed her by her boot before she could get away. Ruffnut let out a yelp of surprise and fell to the ground, causing Tuffnut to burst out with laughter. Ruffnut narrowed her eyes and suddenly lunged at Tuffnut, and the two started tussling on the ground before rolling right under Sharpshot's line of sight. Licking his left eye, Sharpshot chirped, catching the twins' attention.

"Why is that Terrible Terror staring us down?" Tuffnut asked uneasily. Ruffnut was still lying on top of him, looking equally confused.

"Right? I thought it was just me," she said.

"It's totally eyeballing us…" Tuffnut flinched when Sharpshot chirped again.

"What does it want?" Ruffnut asked.

"Whatever it's selling, I'm not buying," Tuffnut replied.

Scrambling to their feet and feeling thoroughly creeped out, the Thorston twins left the watchtower platform.

"Is it gone?" Ruffnut asked her brother.

"I think so," Tuffnut mumbled, looking over his hiding place, only to find Sharpshot still staring at them.

"Okay, on three, we run. One…!" Ruffnut yelled before yanking Tuffnut by the wrist and tried to run away. Sharpshot was smart enough to see what they were up to and gave chase, blocking their path.

"Leave us alone! You demented little monster!" Tuffnut shouted as he and Ruffnut backtracked. Determined to deliver the letter and still as playful as ever, Sharpshot gave chase, flying after the terrified duo.

…

Hiccup was looking through his spyglass as the five of us waited for the twins and Snotlout to arrive. I couldn't shake off the feeling that this wouldn't end well. The Screaming Death was headed straight for Berk. Guilt washed over me as I thought of anything that could have been done to prevent this from happening. Fishlegs approached Hiccup warily, giving his report about the new dragons who'd arrived recently.

"Hiccup, Alex, the yellow marked dragons from Sorrow Island just started showing up," he announced.

"Which means the Screaming Death is only one island away," Astrid put in.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes.

"Looks like help isn't coming," Hiccup sighed as he realized the twins hadn't received the message.

' _We do not need help_ ,' Snowfire reassured us, though I couldn't shake off the cloud of doubt threatening to overwhelm me. Hiccup looked down at the map he had marked.

"Alright, we have to set up a defense here on Dragon Island with what we have," he informed us.

"Maybe we should fall back and head for home," Astrid sighed.

"I'm not letting that thing destroy another island," I retorted. "Besides, with Dragon Island gone, there'll be nothing left for the dragons. They'd overwhelm Berk."

"Yeah, and the Screaming Death won't be far behind," Fishlegs agreed.

"Exactly," Hiccup said after looking at me in surprise. Did he really think I'd lost my respect for both islands?

"How soon until it gets here?" Astrid asked. A deafening roar was her answer. I swear, Screaming Deaths had a worst roar than Snowfire's, and that was saying something. She used her screeches to stun prey before catching them, just like the Screaming Death.

"I'd say about five minutes, give or take," Jacob replied with a shrug. Hiccup quickly grabbed his shield and ran over to Toothless, who warbled in concern of the upcoming battle.

"Toothless and I will try to buy us some time. You guys join me when Snotlout and the twins get here," he told us.

"You're not facing it alone," I spoke up, stealing my courage and hopping into Snowfire's saddle. "Astrid and Jacob can stay and watch for them." Hiccup looked like he was ready to argue when he caught the look in my eyes. He knew better than to argue, especially when he knew I was right.

"So, you're leaving me and Jacob by ourselves," Astrid guessed, crossing her arms as she glared at us.

"Uh, hello? Man on dragon, here, right behind you," Fishlegs deadpanned.

"You know what I meant, Fishlegs," Astrid retorted.

"I do," Fishlegs said crossly as Meatlug looked down in disappointment. "And I like to go on the record by saying, 'we don't appreciate it.' Do we, girl?" Meatlug only warbled in response, her tail wagging as he patted his affectionate Gronckle lovingly.

Astrid just looked at Hiccup pleadingly, and I could see that she was just as determined to help in whatever front she could. But Hiccup did have a good point. If the Screaming Death got past us, Astrid, Jacob and Fishlegs would be the last lines of defense. She sighed, knowing that she was defeated once again.

"Just go, but stay safe," she finally said.

' _I will not let any harm come to you, hatchling_ ,' Snowfire reassured me.

"Let's just make sure that it doesn't reach the island," I whispered, patting her on the shoulder as we took off in the direction of the Screaming Death.

…

Back on Berk, the twins were posing as statues to try and evade Sharpshot. When they thought about it, their plan was both ingenious and stupid. Hiding in plain sight would be the most obvious thing to look for, but it seemed to throw the little Terror off.

"Huh?" one Viking had asked after noticing the new totems that were strangely detailed. He only sighed after recognizing the twins, and walked away before getting caught in their shenanigans.

"Statues. Ha, great idea," Tuffnut whispered boastfully.

"It's like we aren't even here," Ruffnut whispered back. Unfortunately for them, Snotlout chose that moment to approach and ruin their scheme.

"What are you two muttonheads doing?" he asked.

"We're not muttonheads," Tuffnut replied.

"Yeah, we're statues," Ruffnut added.

"Though, I guess we could be muttonhead statues," Tuffnut said with a grin. Both of them opened their mouths and put on blank expressions, making their 'statue' appearance very realistic. Snotlout facepalmed and groaned in frustration.

"No! I mean why are you—"

"Shh, it's right behind you," Tuffnut cut him off.

"Pretend we're not here," Ruffnut added in a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" Snotlout asked. He turned and finally noticed what the twins were hiding from. Sharpshot was sitting on a perch, holding a note to his leg. "Oh, cool. Airmail. Huh, don't think that'll catch on." He bent down and untied the note attached to Sharpshot's leg.

"Airmail?" Tuffnut repeated.

"Airmail. Stupid name," Ruffnut scoffed.

"Muttonheads," Snotlout grumbled under his breath.

"No. Statues of muttonheads," Tuffnut corrected him, returning to their posing of statues as Snotlout read the letter.

…

The Screaming Death had eaten its last island, and was headed straight for Dragon Island. We were the only ones standing in it's way, as Snowfire and Toothless blocked it's way with fiery blasts.

"Well, we clearly got its attention, bud. Now, let's play a little game of Follow the Leader and see if it goes for the shiny shield trick again," Hiccup said after patting his Night Fury affectionately.

' _This should be fun_ ,' Snowfire hummed as we flew in the path of the Screaming Death.

"We have very different definitions of fun," I pointed out.

Sure enough, instinct won this battle as the Screaming Death gave chase after us. Hiccup was using his shield to cast a light that shined in front of the giant albino dragon, who started firing blasts at us. It crushed anything that stood in it's path, sea stacks and small islands included. Toothless and Snowfire headed out for open ocean when the Screaming Death suddenly redirected its path to Dragon Island.

"Huh, that was easy," Hiccup said triumphantly.

"Uh, Hiccup… you might want to rethink your last statement," I said after noticing where it was headed. The roar of the Screaming Death was enough for him to take back what he said; it was headed straight for Dragon Island.

' _It seems as if there is no end to this beast_ ,' Snowfire growled furiously.

"We just need to find a way to lead it away from Berk," I pointed out. We kept flying after the Screaming Death, using whatever we could to cast a shiny light that would draw its attention. Unfortunately, it seemed that distraction was no longer working.

"Come on, you love shiny objects," Hiccup groaned after realizing it wasn't affected. "Or, at least you used to."

Just as he said that, the Screaming Death suddenly slammed us both with it's massive tail. Hiccup was able to use his shield to block the blow, but the force was enough to send Snowfire spiraling towards the ocean.

"Snow, pull up!" I cried as she careened towards the ocean. To my relief, she was able to recover just before hitting the water. Toothless did seconds earlier and was giving chase after the Screaming Death.

' _Forgive me, little one_ ,' Snowfire said as we followed them.

"It's not your fault," I reassured her. "Looks like shiny objects aren't going to cut it, this time."

"Yeah, so it's getting bigger and smarter. Not the greatest combination," Hiccup sighed once he'd recovered from the initial shock. "We barely made a dent on it," he groaned as Toothless and Snowfire kept firing at it.

All that seemed to do was make it angrier. The Screaming Death had burrowed underground, and when it burst out from the ground again, it was right behind us. It shot two more shots in our direction, but Snowfire and Toothless dodged each blast.

"Turn around, you overgrown earthworm!" Astrid's shout was enough to catch my attention. My eyes widened in alarm when I saw Stormfly, and Sniper hovering in front of the Screaming Death.

"Yeah, come and get us!" Jacob taunted it.

That was enough to provoke the Screaming Death into firing two more shots. Sniper and Stormfly were fast enough to dodge each blow, only enraging the Screaming Death further. That was when we saw Fishlegs and Meatlug fly past us.

' _What are they doing_?' Snowfire asked as she watched.

"We need backup, Fishlegs!" Hiccup called after the chubby Ingerman boy.

"Oh, I've got backup," Fishlegs reassured us. Just as he said that, a whole herd of Gronckles followed after the pair. I couldn't help but watch in amazement as Fishlegs gave the order for them to fire everything they had at the Screaming Death.

"Man, it's like a Gronckle Fest out here," Astrid exclaimed as she and Stormfly joined us along with Jacob and Sniper.

"Yeah, he's really got a knack for this," I nodded in agreement.

"How'd he do that?" Astrid asked us. I only smirked after realizing that Fishlegs was using the Gronckle's territorial instincts to his advantage. Hiccup had explained the same thing to Astrid, who nodded in understanding. Fishlegs was able to rally an entire army of Gronckles like it was nothing, and that was reassuring enough to know they were willing to fight for their islands.

"That was a great idea," Jacob exclaimed when Fishlegs managed to frustrate the Screaming Death with the constant flow of Gronckle attacks.

"I know, right? Who's the safety net, now?" Fishlegs asked smugly.

"I wouldn't let it get to your heads, Fishlegs," I said with a smirk.

After getting headbutted a few more times by the Gronckles, the Screaming Death had had enough of the attacks and burrowed underground. Fishlegs had Meatlug fly over to the hole and hover there for a few seconds, looking down anxiously.

"You see that? It ran away," he said triumphantly.

' _It is not running away, foolish hatchling_ ,' Snowfire chided him, already knowing where this was headed. My eyes widened in panic as I understood what she meant by that. Just as she said that, the ground beneath us began to shake with the force of an earthquake.

"Astrid, Jacob, Fishlegs, get as many wild dragons as you can. Alex and I will try to force it back to the surface," Hiccup instructed the others after realizing we would need a plan.

Once they flew off, Snowfire dove towards the spot where the Screaming Death had burrowed, with Toothless not far behind. We flew down into the hole that began to cave in on itself and soon reached a cavern that was flooding with water. My heart was racing with panic after I realized what it was doing.

"It's trying to sink the island from within," I realized out loud. "Snow, look out!" I cried after realizing the Screaming Death had spotted us. It was living up to it's namesake, roaring and firing fireballs at us.

"Toothless, watch out!" Hiccup called as the Night Fury dodged each blow.

My mind was spinning with panic as we flew towards the tunnel we'd flown down earlier, with the Screaming Death following close behind. All the while, it kept firing fireballs in our direction. Toothless was using his roars to navigate our way through, while Snowfire kept dodging each of the Screaming Death's blows. I didn't need to look over my shoulder to know that it was still following us.

But the moment we had reached the tunnel where we flew out of, Toothless and Snowfire were forced to stop. The tunnel itself had caved in completely, blocking out any form of exit. One roar from Toothless was all it took for us to find another exit. Toothless and Snowfire had narrowly missed getting bitten by the Screaming Death as they found an opening and flew up. Just as they did that, the Screaming Death crashed into land and collapsed on itself, hard.

"We couldn't have called that any closer," I gasped once we were free of the tunnels.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Hiccup sighed in agreement.

"Hey, we got your message!" One shout from Tuffnut was enough of a relief from me, though I was still annoyed it had taken them this long to get here in the first place.

' _What took you so long_?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes, voicing my thoughts.

"Well, one of us did," Snotlout retorted, ignoring Snowfire's question and staring at the Screaming Death in shock. It was towering above us, once again. Was there really any end to this thing? I seriously wished there was an on or off switch for it. "Whoa! Did that thing get bigger?"

"Yeah, and awesomer!" Tuffnut cheered.

The Screaming Death was preparing for another attack, but Barf and Belch stopped it in it's tracks. They used their gas and spark attack, followed by Hookfang's fire blast. That was enough to infuriate it, and the Screaming Death let loose another volley of fireballs in our direction.

Astrid, Jacob and Fishlegs had chosen that moment to join us with their army of dragons close behind them.

"Alright, dragons. Let's get territorial," Astrid shouted, leading a herd of Deadly Nadders. She had the herd of Deadly Nadders and Stormfly fly right at the Screaming Death. "Stormfly, spine shot!"

Stormfly fired several spines at the Screaming Death, several of them hitting a nasty mark. In seconds, all of the Deadly Nadders were fighting back with the same results. It really was a spectacle to watch, especially when Jacob flew in with Sniper and led the Monstrous Nightmares to their attack.

"Lets show it what happens when you piss off a Monstrous Nightmare, Sniper!" Sniper only roared in agreement, unleashing a stream of fire in the Screaming Death's wake.

Once they were finished, Fishlegs flew in with Meatlug and his herd of Gronckles. Meatlug dove after the Screaming Death, while other Gronckles fired lava blasts, defending what was left of their territory.

"They really are something," I whispered as I watched on in amazement. The dragons really were defending their territory, just like we'd predicted.

' _We will do whatever it takes to protect our homes_ ,' Snowfire hummed in agreement.

Knowing that it was outnumbered and outmatched, the Screaming Death flew off, roaring in distress with new injuries to boast about. In a way, I did feel sorry for it. It wasn't like the Screaming Death had asked to be hatched on Berk. Alvin and the Outcasts were responsible for this, and I knew the Screaming Death wouldn't be so forgiving during our next encounter.

"I don't think the Screaming Death is going to be messing with Dragon Island anymore," Astrid boasted once it was gone. But as the ground began to tremble and shake, I knew she was wrong. My heart was racing once again as I realized we were too late. The island was collapsing on itself.

"That might be because there won't be a Dragon Island anymore," Jacob said after noticing what was happening.

"Oh, man. Jacob's right, it's sinking," Hiccup said.

Fishlegs looked down at the tunnels that the Screaming Death had made, and I noticed the expression on his face change with an idea forming.

"Lava blast!" he suddenly shouted, earning looks of confusion as Meatlug immediately did as she was told. Fishlegs started leading the herd of Gronckles towards the tunnels, and I suddenly understood where he was getting at.

"He's using the lava to stabilize the ground," I explained as everyone watched on.

"Yeah, it's just like in science class: Once the ocean reaches the lava, it immediately turns to rock," Jacob said in agreement. I couldn't hide the smirk that followed when everyone looked at Jacob as if he was crazy.

Their plan was working. The lava was forming a protective barrier that stopped the island from sinking.

"Fishlegs, Meatlug, you two were the heroes today," Hiccup praised them after realizing that we were right.

"Oh, come on. You're making me blush," Fishlegs said sheepishly and gave Meatlug a hug, who returned the favor with an affectionate lick.

…

Everyone had returned to Berk later that day with stories to tell of the Screaming Death. Jacob had told Jessica what had happened, and when she heard the tale, her eyes had widened in horror. I knew she had bad memories of Screaming Deaths, and Whispering Deaths, for that matter. Hearing that they were back probably only made her feel even more anxious about living on the island.

By the time dusk had arrived, I was sitting on a sea stack with Snowfire resting beside me, cleaning her wings as Jacob arrived on Sniper. After today's events, I needed some time away from everything, and everyone.

"You okay?" Jacob asked when he hopped out of Sniper's saddle. I threw him a look that said I was anything but okay, and he frowned. "Sorry, stupid question."

"Things are getting worse," I sighed as I gazed out at the island, wishing that things were back to the way they had been before the whole Alvin kidnapping us situation started. "I just need some time alone."

' _You do not need time alone, little one_ ,' Snowfire hummed as she looked at me worriedly. ' _You should tell him the truth_.' Jacob had already guessed what she was talking about, and nodded in agreement.

"This tension between you and Hiccup is kind of getting old," he stated with a shrug. "I know he still loves you, as much as he'd probably deny it, now. And _you_ still love him."

I couldn't help but look down at my feet. Jacob was right about one thing. I did love Hiccup. Probably more than I would ever admit. But that didn't mean I was willing to share my secrets with him. He had no idea just how broken I really was.

"Well, I do know one thing: That Screaming Death isn't finished with us," I muttered once Jacob had sat down beside me. "Hiccup was right about them being territorial."

"I know for a fact that no matter what those Outcasts put us through, we'll get through it," Jacob reassured me cheerfully.

"As a team," I said with the slightest grins.

"As a family." Jacob and I shared knowing looks, and one look from Snowfire was all it took for me to realize that Jacob was my family, along with everyone else from Berk. He was like a brother; someone I could rely on no matter what.


End file.
